


Bloody Sakura Rose

by Arya_Rayne



Series: Nobody's Rose [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts, RWBY
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Confusion inbound, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Final Mix Version, Gen, Just all the scythes, Kingdom Hearts III, Lauriam is haunted by ghosts, Lauriam needs a support network, Luxord Knows(TM), Marluxia Is Lauriam (Kingdom Hearts), Nobodies don't age, Post-Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, Post-Volume 2 (RWBY), Pre-Fall of Beacon (RWBY), Pre-Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance, Ruby is Marluxia's daughter, Ruby's support network is WBY and JNPR, Scythes, Volume 3 (RWBY), Volume 4 (RWBY), Xigbar is up to something
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-24
Updated: 2021-03-27
Packaged: 2021-04-11 10:47:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 33
Words: 112,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21543094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arya_Rayne/pseuds/Arya_Rayne
Summary: Taiyang Xiao Long was Ruby’s father. He was always her father. Until one day, Ruby discovers that this was a lie. Taiyang wasn’t Ruby’s father. Her Mother had fallen in love with someone who couldn’t love her back. A Nobody. A man named Marluxia. Then, that same week, a pink haired man named Lauriam shows up in Vale, looking for Summer Rose.
Relationships: Marluxia (Kingdom Hearts)/Summer Rose (RWBY)
Series: Nobody's Rose [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1577983
Comments: 360
Kudos: 191





	1. Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything was fine yesterday. Today the world was turned on it's head. No lie stays secret forever.

If you had asked Ruby yesterday, she would have laughed at the thought; of course she was the daughter of Taiyang Xiao Long, why did you ask? The conversation then would most likely lead into a conversation about her father, jokes thrown in, and just a fun conversation. That is what would have happened if you had asked yesterday, or any day before that. Because yesterday, Taiyang Xiao Long was Ruby’s father, something the young reaper would have noted with great pride.

Today however, if you asked Ruby that same question, she would give you the most heart wrenching look you had ever seen on her face and then walk off without a word, her red hood covering her face. It was today that she had discovered that her father was NOT Taiyang Xiao Long, but some person called Marluxia. That didn’t even sound like a proper name from anywhere on Remnant.

Ruby still held her mother’s journal in her hand. None of the entries were dated, but it was easy to work out how old the entries she had read were. At least sixteen years. Maybe seventeen. The book was filled cover to cover with entries, drawings of creatures that _weren’t Grimm,_ talking about these things her mother had discovered, entries of people, written conversation between her mother and the handwriting of this Marluxia. But what hit Ruby the hardest were the personal entries in the last pages.

_Today I met a man while I was on my mission. I was dealing with a new Grimm, one I had never seen before, and he stepped in when I was getting ready to cut my loses and run. He appeared to be on his own mission, and he was well spoken. I asked him for his name and he introduced himself as Marluxia. He even wrote it out for me when I asked how that was spelt. It’s not the most common of names after all. He was a rather odd man though. I noticed that he spoke with the most expressionless tone I have ever heard, and his ever present smile was unnerving, like it wasn’t real or if it didn’t belong… He left after we spoke, but I wonder if I’ll meet him again._

…

_I met Marluxia again today, he helped me fight off a similar creature to last time we met. He called it a Heartless, and described it as similar to the Grimm, but at the same time different. He didn’t elaborate on that however. I asked if he had a team that he was working with, and while he said yes, I didn’t quite believe him. I think he knows that I don’t. He still smiles though. Once again he didn’t elaborate on this apparent team of his. I reported these Heartless creatures to Headmaster Ozpin, but I left out Marluxia in my report. I don’t know why. Tomorrow my mission is to discover the nature of these Heartless. I may ask Marluxia more about them if I can._

…

Several more entries filled the pages, nothing much of interest, but there were mentions of this man, Marluxia in every one of them. Then came the next important entry…

_Marluxia started camping with me today, he suggested that we team up, and if I tell him more about the creatures of Grimm then he’ll tell me more about the Heartless. It was an odd request, I mean, who doesn’t know about Grimm? I guess he means that he didn’t go to a combat school. I agreed to his suggestion. He’s rather good company once you get used to him, though I am determined to make him give me a real smile! Tomorrow we’re going after a larger Grimm. It’s not a job for Ozpin, but it makes me money, and it helps Marluxia learn more about the Grimm._

…

As the entries continued on, it was easy to see how Summer and Marluxia’s relationship grew. Marluxia had even been given a nickname! There were entries that were moments of rest, silly little encounters, conversations, angry rants; and the closer to the end of the pages Ruby got, the appearance of Marluxia’s handwriting began to litter the entries, until the last three entries in the book.

_It has been over a year since I met Marluxia. I can’t believe how long it’s been, or how close we’ve grown. Why am I writing this…? This week may very well be our last week together. He has a new mission in a place called Castle Oblivion, and I need to get home. Luxia and I… Even now, I am watching the rise and fall of his chest and my heart hurts. Just yesterday he promised that he would ensure that Xemnas never discovered me, that he would come back to me the moment that his next mission ended. But I am afraid. I have fallen in love with this man, and his barely warm smiles and rarely expressive voice. Every time I am trouble, he is there now, swinging his scythe to cut down Heartless and Grimm with equal measure. He has my back, and I his._

_I want to make this last week we have together count. This Heartless we are tracking, it won’t elude us for long. But after that, if I must be separated from him for some time, I want to make this last week something to remember._

…

_I’m home now, it’s been so long. Team STRQ is back together again. Raven keeps grilling me on my solo mission. I think she’s jealous that I met this hot guy and didn’t ring to tell her about it. The last day, I slept with Marluxia. Oh it was so embarrassing having Raven grill me on it for weeks! Yes, I met a hot guy; we fell in love and then fell in bed together. But no, she wants all the details. My friend is changing though. She seems restless. I hope Raven is okay. Little Yang is such a lovely girl; she needs her mother now more than ever._

…

_Raven went missing two weeks ago, and I discovered that I’m pregnant. The child is Marluxia’s, but he has also gone missing, he didn’t come back when he promised he would. I have decided that I won’t tell anyone who the father of this child is. Taiyang keeps telling me that it is okay to believe that Luxia will come back, he also promised to help me raise my child, and help me hide the truth for as long as possible. Yang will be raised as if she were my daughter, and though they won’t be related, I hope Yang will be an amazing big sister to my child. I think I’ll name my child Ruby if it’s a girl or Onyx if it’s a boy._

That was the last entry Summer Rose had written in her journal. She had buried the book along with her secret, well within the many boxes of possessions. Ruby had no idea if Taiyang had tried to hide this book or not, but that mattered not as she had stumbled upon this book when she had been looking through a box of her mum’s things. Now Ruby knew that everything she once thought about herself was a lie.

“Ms Rose, is something the matter?”

Ruby jumped at the sound of Ozpin’s voice and spun around to face him, her silver eyes wide. She recalled that Ozpin was the one her mother was reporting to in her journal, maybe he knew who this Marluxia person was. Maybe. Ruby certainly hoped he did. Suddenly she realized that she was wringing her hands together, and Ozpin was still waiting for her to answer. Quickly she took a breath to work up her courage, and then said quickly;

“DoyouknowwhoMarluxiais?”

There was a pause, an uncomfortable one. Ruby found herself counting the seconds. It was a six second long pause. Long enough for the Headmaster to decipher her question, and then to pause again when he registered WHAT she had asked. His eyes fall to the journal in the teen’s hand, widened slightly, almost unnoticeably, but Ruby noticed, because she was already hyperaware of everything currently. Almost mutely, Ozpin gestures in the direction that lead back towards the way to his office.

“It seems you and I are in for a long conversation Ms Rose,” he commented as he walked beside his student. “May I inquire as to where you found that journal?”

“It was with my mum’s things which my father had sent through,” replied Ruby quietly, as she opened the book to the last entry again. “I asked dad if he could find me her old broach, but since he was heading out on a mission, he sent me the box to look through…. I guess he didn’t realise that the journal was there.”

“Actually, Ms Rose,” Ozpin hummed as he pressed the button for the elevator. “I do believe that Taiyang had no idea of the true contents of that book. That book contains information that he would rather remain ignorant to, or so he believes.” 

Ruby opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it again as nothing came out. Her voice died. He hadn’t known about this book? The ride up the elevator was quiet as the young silver eyed teen stewed over this information. When they reached the top, Ozpin lead the way in and offered Ruby a chair in front of his desk before he himself sat down.

“Let’s see,” the Headmaster started, pinning Ruby with a look. “Marluxia, your birth father, is someone I have only met twice, and he has never met your father. Taiyang only knows that Marluxia is your father and nothing else. He believes that your birth father is dead, as is what happens when someone goes missing for an extended period of time. However, I can tell you that, for as far as I know, Marluxia is not dead.”

The young reaper’s mouth fell open in shock, her hood falling itself as she shot out of her chair and all but slammed her hands on the Headmaster’s table. Her mind was reeling.

“He what?” she demanded. “Why isn’t he here then? Why was I raised by… dad instead of this Marluxia guy.”

Ozpin raised his eyebrow elegantly at Ruby, who deflated and sat down with a mumbled apology. The white haired man sighed and pressed his fingers together, resting his elbows on the glass table before him. Copper eyes closed and for a few moments the only sound that could be heard was the movement of the cogwheels above them.

“Your birth father visited me twice,” the man continued as if Ruby hadn’t interrupted. The young silver eyes watched him with rapt attention now. “The first time was the day of your birth. He asked me a favour, to keep your light safe. Keep you safe, because he wouldn’t be able to. The second time was at your mother’s funeral. It was then I asked him why he couldn’t take you in, and he told me. He is what is known as a Nobody, he is incapable of emotion. I’m not entirely sure if that is true, but… He clearly wasn’t about to take you.”

There was a sound of glass shattering, though only Ruby could hear it. It was the figurative sound of her heart shattering further. Taiyang was not her real father and kept that fact from her, and then she discovered that her birth father wanted nothing to do with her. Tears pricked in her eyes, poor Ruby was so confused. Again Ozpin spoke.

“Might I suggest that you talk to Ms Xiao Long about this,” he said. “She may have some insight for you. Though I can tell you that Marluxia did have some semblance of care for you, otherwise he would not have shown up at all after you were born.”

Ruby swallowed thickly and nodded. She took a few calming breaths and managed to get her heart beating at a somewhat normal rate. Once again she looked up at Ozpin, her expression slightly more subdued than before.

“What…. What was he like?” she asked hesitantly. Ozpin stood up and walked around the table. He gestured for the book in Ruby’s hands, which she handed over without a word. The headmaster hummed as he flipped through the pages.

“Your mother’s explanation of his character is rather accurate. He always spoke with a voice which rarely ever expressed anything, and he certainly smiled at times which could not have had any stimulus to smile. Though I tended to notice a truly expressionless face the two times I spoke to him.”

Before Ruby could ask her next question, Ozpin was already walking again, this time over to a cabinet on the side of the room. He pulled out a few pages, and momentarily Ruby wondered where all these pages had come from, first her mum’s journal and now these pages. Journals like her mum’s were generally recorded on scrolls.

The pages were placed in front of Ruby and the teen gasped when she saw they were drawings, signed by her mum; drawings of a pink haired man in a black coat, holding a scythe. Different poses, sometimes only his head, or half body, but it was all the same man, one man that Ruby recognised, because there was one such drawing in her room, a drawing that Ruby vaguely remembered her mother dubbing the “Guardian of Ruby’s Room”.

“This is…. Marluxia….?” Ruby asked softly, picking up one of the images and gingerly touching the drawn details. Her mother was a good artist, at times, at other times her art was no better than that of a child. Her mother had only put great care into images which meant the most to her. Marluxia clearly meant a lot to Summer. Ozpin’s answering nod was all that Ruby needed to confirm that the silly little drawing she had always cherished in her room, was an image of her father, drawn by her mother.

A silent question was asked of the Headmaster, the answer being an inviting hand, and Ruby gathered up the images from the desk carefully. She had gotten answers, and gained more questions, but she now had more clues.

“Thank you Professor,” she said with a smile which was brighter than her earlier despondency.

“If you have more questions Ms Rose, you need only ask.”

With a more cheerful nod, Ruby left the office, pages in hand. Ozpin watched her go with a sad expression. The secrets of Summer Rose were about to come to light, and he could only hope that Ruby wasn’t disappointed with the results.

◇◆◇◆◇

_Dear Diary,_

_Hi, I’m back again. Writing to you in secret because I don’t want Yang to find me. She doesn’t look at my paper diary. Is that why mum kept a paper journal? Because dad wouldn’t look in it? I would have thought that such a thing wasn’t for mum and dad… but I found out today that dad isn’t actually my dad. My dad is actually my guardian angel! I never knew that every time I looked at that image that mum drew I was actually looking at a picture of my real dad! To be fair…. I didn’t know that dad wasn’t actually dad. And now I don’t know what to call him! Do I still call him dad? Or do I call him Taiyang? Oh I really should ask Yang about this…. But I don’t know how she’ll react. Marluxia…. If I look for you, will I find you? And will you want me to call you dad? I think I’ll ask Blake, maybe she’ll know._

_With love,_  
_Ruby Rose_  


◇◆◇◆◇

Meanwhile, in the city of Vale, there was a small commotion happening in the streets. Some shopkeeper was making a racket about his dust stores being robbed. In the crowd watching there was a certain pink haired man, with blue eyes. He scanned the area for something, before leaving the commotion behind, the tattered tail of his black jacket trailing behind him as he adjusted the sleeves of his white shirt. What he was looking for wasn’t here, so he moved on. This man walked into a pub on the main street of Vale and he walked over to the barkeep.

“Hello,” he greeted with a charming smile gracing his lips. “My name is Lauriam, and I was wondering if you could direct me to where I can look through older issues of the news? The Librarian wasn’t able to help me I’m afraid.”

The barkeeper took one look at Lauriam before pointing over to the side of the pub, where the news stand was.

“We keep newspapers as old as three months before we send them elsewhere, for patrons who prefer holding paper, or haven’t got immediate access to their scrolls, hope you find something useful there.”

Lauriam nodded his thanks before walking over to the stand. He picked up one from two months ago and hummed when he saw the front page.

**BEACON STUDENTS APPREHEND TORCHWICK**

The picture was of a team of four teenage girls. Lauriam’s eyes were drawn straight away to the youngest. Black-red hair, black clothes, red frills, and a scythe.

“You look just like her,” he sighed, before settling down in a chair so that he could read.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's to my first story here! Inspired by a meme I saw on Google, I present to you the fanfic where Marluxia from Kingdom Hearts is the father of Ruby Rose. Of this I am now convinced. This chapter post was merely meant to be a test of AO3 uploading in comparison to uploading to FFN. Very different. I'll post more once I have more chapters lined up ^^
> 
> Have a great day/night everyone!
> 
> P.S. I am Australian, so Australian spelling, age laws and anything else Australian will be rampant, simply for ease of writing.


	2. Nothing is the Same

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Telling the truth to someone is hard, having someone tell you the truth can be harder.

The next day, Ruby was in her team’s dorm, sitting on her bed, wringing her hands together again, staring at the book in her lap, as she waited for her team to return. She had purposely ditched classes today, though the fact that none of her teachers had come to find her, she could only guess that Professor Ozpin had told the faculty that she might not be in classes. In that time she had prepared and rehearsed over and over the excuse she would give to her team so that she could ask Blake the burning questions in her mind, alone, without Weiss or Yang there to worry and pester.

The practice however proved to be almost futile, as the moment that WBY walked into the dorm room, Yang quickly ran over and started to shower the young reaper with concern.

“Yang, really, I’m okay now,” Ruby said with a smile she hoped was convincing. “I felt a bit dizzy in the library this morning and I went to the infirmary. The nurse told me to rest and I would be fine.”

That was a bad lie, so easily disproven. Internally Ruby cringed, Qrow had taught her how to lie so she could get out of some situations that might arise as a huntress, and he would be so disappointed in that lie. But she could only work with it now. Yang deflated a bit.

“You should really message us sis,” she chided gently, making Ruby cringe slightly as she was once again faced with her mother’s lie. She covered it with a nervous laugh.

“Yeah, sorry, it slipped my mind,” she said, then she perked up as if just remembering something and not playing to the script she was playing in her head. “Actually, I need to talk to Blake about something I found in the library. It’s about the White Fang. I… want Blake to confirm what I read.”

“What is it?” Blake asked, tilting her head the young reaper. Ruby stuttered a moment, not expecting the question. She sighed and held the book, her mother’s journal, closer to herself.

“Just you and me please Blake?” she asked quietly. “I’m not trying to hide this from anyone, but you really should be the first to look at this.”

Ruby felt horrible, lying to her team, but she wasn’t ready, she wasn’t prepared to admit the truth to anyone yet. She hadn’t even accepted the truth yet, the young reaper’s mind was still reeling. Ruby hoped that talking to Blake would help her feel less confused. Her teammates looked at her with softening expressions, and they looked at each other before nodding.

“Alright Ruby,” Weiss agreed. “But you both need to tell us what you found. Yang and I will put notes together of today’s classes and what homework we received for you while you do that.”

Yang saluted and then ushered Ruby and Blake out the door. Weakly, Ruby gestured away from the door, further down the hallway. Blake opened her mouth, concern on her face, but the pleading look from Ruby had her following her leader down and outside the dorm building. The moment they had left the building, Ruby grabbed Blake’s hand and ran to a wall that was secluded from view, where she promptly broke down.

“Ruby?!” Blake gasped with concern, pulling the sobbing girl into her arms. This wasn’t normal for Ruby, not in the slightest. Where was the cheerful, happy-go-lucky teen? Why was she so upset? A thought occurred to Blake, horrible in its conception and almost terrifying to consider.

“You didn’t really have anything relating to the White Fang to show me, did you?” the cat faunas asked quietly, running her fingers comfortingly through Ruby’s hair, hoping that the action would calm the poor girl. Ruby shook her head and pulled the book from where she was gripping it tightly to her chest. She opened the book to the entries that were at the end of the book and offered it up to her friend.

“I don’t know what to do….” She murmured quietly as her black haired friend took the journal from her hands and began reading the entries. Blake read quickly, but her eyes widened and when she finished, the faunas teen quickly flipped back to the entry on the page that Ruby had given to her and reread them all again. Blake was starting to get a faint idea of why Ruby wanted to talk to her, and not Yang or Wiess. With a sigh, she sat against the wall and gently patted the ground next to her, offering her arms for an embrace. The invitation was clear and Ruby; and the young reaper quickly found herself sitting next to Blake, trembling with the Faunus’ arms pulling her close.

“I think my first question is how do you feel about this information, Ruby?” Blake asked. She wasn’t normally affectionate, but with the young reaper as rattled as she was, today Blake decided she would make an exception. Ruby needed it. It took the black-red haired girl a few moments to articulate a response, but the Faunus waited.

“I…. I don’t….. Why did I have to find out from a book of all places?” Ruby finally asked, her eyes looking down. “A book! My dad isn’t my dad, and he was content to keep this a secret, leave this book and forget about it. And all I know about my real dad is now only descriptions of him from journal entries, and then pictures of him drawn by my mum. What do I….? How do I…?”

Blake pressed a finger to Ruby’s lips, making the young girl gasp and look up into the gold-amber eyes of her friend.

“You feel betrayed,” she told the reaper, and she pressed her finger slightly harder against Ruby’s lips when the girl went to protest. “No Ruby, you do, this is why you don’t want to talk to Yang. Why you feel so confused. You feel betrayed, but you want to deny that feeling because you can’t reconcile the image of the man who raised you doing it intentionally. At the same time you know that he did, and you are trying to work out some plausible explanation.”

“But I can’t find any…..” Ruby admitted, curling closer to Blake as she slowly started to accept the feeling of betrayal that was there, had been there since yesterday. It was as if puzzle pieces had slotted into space as Blake spoke. 

“No, you can’t,” the cat faunas murmured with a sigh. “You want your ignorance back, but can’t have that.”

Ruby was silent for a few moments before she looked up at Blake.

“What do I call him now?” 

It was unclear if she was asking about Taiyang or Marluxia or perhaps even both, as Blake suspected, but that didn’t change the answer that Blake gave.

“Whatever feels right to you,” the cat Faunus replied firmly. “If that is his name, then call him by name. If it is by title, then call him your father. What do you want to call him?”

Ruby looked down and shrugged helplessly. With a small smile, Blake stood up, pulling Ruby with her. She straightened the young girl’s black and red dress and neatened her hair, before offering the reaper her handkerchief.

“While you work it out, I’ll be here to help you if you need to,” she said. “Now what are you going to tell Yang?”

Ruby’s eyes widened, before she looked down.

“Don’t do the same thing that your parents did,” Blake murmured, petting the head of her team leader. “Yang would want to find out from you, not a book like you did. You know she’ll help you. Come on, we need to talk to Weiss and Yang.”

Slowly, because Ruby had taken to clinging to Blake’s arm, the pair returned to their dorm, where Yang and Weiss were waiting, the former of which tried to shower attention and concern on Ruby, only to be stopped by the cat Faunus. Blake quietly pressed Ruby forward. The young reaper took a deep breath, pulling her hood up.

“Ruby?” Yang asked, concerned. 

“I’m….” Ruby started before cutting off and starting again. “Yesterday… I found mum’s diary, and I started reading through it hoping to discover more about her life….. but I also…. I discovered…..”

Her voice trailed off as she looked down at the ground. Yang took a step forward to try and comfort her, but stopped when Ruby held up her hand.

“I’m not really your sister, Yang,” she whispered. Silence fell upon team RWBY. It extended out for a few moments, a pin drop silence. Ruby shifted uncomfortably, relaxing slightly when Blake’s calming hand found its way to her shoulder.

“What?” Yang finally asked. “What do you mean? I know Summer wasn’t my birth mum, but dad is_”

“No Yang,” Ruby interrupted with a wavering voice. “You aren’t my full sister, you aren’t my half-sister. By birth, your dad isn’t my dad. And…. He didn’t tell me, wasn’t going to tell me…”

She held out the diary of Summer Rose to Yang, open once again at the last entries that had been written in it, about Marluxia. Yang read them. And again. And once more to ensure that her eyes weren’t deceiving her. And then without a word she handed she handed the diary back to Ruby, her eyes turning red, and she pulled her scroll from her pocket.

“No Yang!” Ruby gasped, leaping forward and grabbing the brawler’s hand. “Don’t… don’t call home. Please.”

“He’s been lying to us Ruby!” Yang exclaimed. “He_ he knew and wasn’t going to say anything! Like he didn’t say anything about my mum!”

“I know, but…. I’m not ready to confront him about it yet!”

“Yang.”

Everyone stopped as Weiss spoke for the first time since Ruby had returned. Gold, red and silver eyes all turned to look at the heiress. Weiss took a breath and began to talk.

“I think that this is Ruby’s choice, since it is her parents we are discussing here,” she said calmly, being the voice of reason. “Yes, you are angry, Yang, but your anger isn’t helping Ruby. What we need to do, before getting answers from your father, is help Ruby. Because while you are angry, it is clear that Ruby is confused and you are only causing her distress.”

With that out of the way, Weiss turned to Ruby, not letting anyone speak yet as she continued. 

“Now,” she tutted concisely, “Ruby, tomorrow, you are coming to class with us, but if you don’t feel like answering the Professors questions then we shall answer for you. I, for one, want to know that you are okay, instead of letting all this bubble up inside you. It’s not healthy.”

Ruby hung her head and mumbled out an apology. Yang’s eyes faded back to violet, and she sighed, pulling the young reaper into a hug.

“Sorry Ruby,” she murmured. “But, even if dad lied, you’re still my sister okay? We have the families we were born into, and then we have our families of choice. And your family is also right here. Teams RWBY and JNPR. Kay?”

Blake got in on this with a smile. “Yeah, you have Weiss, Pyrrah, Ren and me as your wise older siblings, Yang and Nora as your crazy older sisters, and then Jaune, your goofy brother who makes us all laugh when we need it.”

This made Ruby perk up, a happy grin forming on her face as she thought about the words. “Right! You guys are the best!”

That night team RWBY and team JNPR decided to have a sleepover in JNPR’s room, they all dragged out their sleeping bags and laid them out on the floor. Team JNPR had also agreed with the conversation that had happened in their sister-team’s room when they were told. It was Nora’s idea for a sleepover which was quickly agreed to by both of the teams. When Professor Goodwitch went around the dorm rooms to check that all the students were asleep by curfew, she would discover both teams in JNPR’s room, Ruby in the middle of the group of sleeping bags, her mother’s journal under her hand, the rest of team RWBY and team JNPR sleeping around her like guardians. The Professor decided that she would leave them be and talk to the Headmaster about it.

◇◆◇◆◇

The next day they had History after breakfast, and both teams sat together, very purposely seating Ruby next to Ren and Blake, Nora and Yang on the outside of the group to glare at anyone who stared at Ruby. The lesson was about city expansion and currently the discussion was about Mountain Glenn. RWBY had only come back from that mission two weeks ago. Doctor Oobleck saw the seating that the two teams had taken, but also spotted Ruby, who was looking slightly zoned out and distracted as she flipped through the book she hadn’t let go of since that morning. 

“Ms Rose,” he started, making the girl squeak quietly in surprise, snapping the journal shut. “Perhaps you can answer this question for us; what caused the Mountain Glenn project to collapse?”

Ruby shrunk down in her seat, an action which made the Professor raise his eyebrow. Yes, he decided that he would inform the rest of the teachers of this, his eyebrow rising further as Yang answered the question instead of Ruby. This was something to note. Keeping the Headmaster’s note that Ruby might be absent from classes in mind, he didn’t comment on the fact that it was a student he hadn’t called upon who had answered. As the lesson progressed, Ruby raised her hand twice throughout to answer his questions, but she never answered when he called upon her, and it was one of her teammates or someone from team JNPR who answered for her. She did become more attentive though as her friends showed that they were looking out for her.

When the class was dismissed, Dr. Oobleck sent out a quick message to all of the teachers about Ruby’s behaviour in class. For the rest of team RWBY’s lessons that day, the team was called on collectively, rather than singling out one of them, since they were answering for the young reaper.

That afternoon when the two teams were working on homework in the library, Ruby, who usually was the main motivator, usually speaking some kind of encouragement, was staring at one of the pictures of Marluxia drawn by her mother. She was grateful that the Headmaster had given her those images. Nora snuck up behind her and peered over her shoulder.

“Oooooh who’s that?” the hyperactive red head asked with a grin, her turquoise eyes noting the signature on the images. “Your mum drew these?? Wow! She’s so skilled, what gave her the inspiration?”

Yang also looked over and her eyes widened as she recognised the figure.

“Isn’t that the same guy who mum claimed was the guardian of your room?” she asked. “You still have that drawing up at home and all that too.”

“This is Marluxia,” Ruby said quietly. “Ozpin said that these pictures are ones that mum drew of Marluxia. Who is he? I mean…. I know about him from mum’s journal, but I don’t really know him. Why does he have a scythe? Why the black coat? Where is he from?”

_What is a Nobody and why is he one?_ The question floated in her mind, but she didn’t voice it out loud. Briefly her eyes flickered to her mum’s journal, remembering the entries on people she had skimmed passed, maybe that would tell her. With a sigh she fell silent, staring at the pictures with a thoughtful expression, resolving to read the journal later. She didn’t see her friends exchange glances. Pyrrah spoke up, interrupting the young reaper’s thoughts.

“Why don’t we go searching for him then?” she said with a smile. “Look for any clues to who he is. Maybe he encountered someone other than your mother while he was around. There has to be something.”

Ruby perked up at that, the thought of finding out more, of solving this mystery, learning about Marluxia. That is what she wanted. And so the two teams planned to head out on the weekend to the City of Vale to ask around; little knowing that there was a certain man in the city who was planning on doing the same.

◇◆◇◆◇

_A Nobody is a person who has lost their heart to darkness. Claiming to not feel emotions, they follow a hierarchy of sorts. The most common type of Nobody are Lesser Nobodies, though Marluxia refuses to show me one. Then there are Greater Nobodies, of which Marluxia claims he is one. The difference between Lesser and Greater Nobodies lies in the fact that Greater Nobodies have strong wills and were able to retain their forms. After careful observation of Marluxia, however, I find the claim that they have no capacity for emotions an unlikely notion._

__

\- Summer Rose’s Journal, Entry on Nobodies

__

__  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise I am not bashing Taiyang! There's just going to be a bit of discovery and discussions on the topic, before Taiyang, Yang and Ruby get to talk about everything face-to-face. Everything will be fine in the end. As for whether Ruby is going to call Taiyang by name, or if she will call him dad still or if she will call him Uncle, I don't know yet, but I'm leaning more towards Uncle.
> 
> At the pace I am typing these chapters, I will be able to upload weekly.


	3. A Chance Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> By chance they were both searching Vale at the same time.

Come the weekend and teams RWBY and JNPR were prepared to make their outing to Vale, to start searching for any clues about Marluxia. Ruby was brimming with excitement, a change which had shown through the past few days in classes, her mood had improved and she had been participating more. She still had moments where she was uncharacteristically quiet, and that was fine, her friends answered for her when that happened. There was no time to fall into the uncertainty she had been wavering between for the past few days, for today was the day she would find answers. She didn’t notice Ren and Pyrrha had all but glued themselves to her side as Blake and Jaune lead the way to the bullheads, nor did she notice Weiss, Nora and Yang watching her with exasperated smiles. 

The trip to the city was short and when they stepped off the bull head, the two teams made their way towards the library; it wasn’t that far from where the bullheads normally landed anyway. As Weiss had explained it, it was only logical to go there as they kept a few public records that could be checked for any trace of Marluxia. Nora kept bouncing ahead, dragging Ruby with her, though the pair always stopped when either Blake or Ren called them back.

Eventually they make it to the library. Weiss and Ren immediately walk towards the back of the library, where the public records are kept, while the rest of the group found a table to sit at. Ruby was fidgeting in her chair while waiting for her friends to rejoin them. The pair came back with two books and Weiss had a frustrated expression on her face. The books were a registry of visitors from outside the Kingdom, old enough that the information in it was all but obsolete.

“Sorry Ruby,” Ren said with an apologetic smile. “These were the only two we could find that could have the information we’re looking for.”

“I suppose a lot of the information that we are looking for will be inaccessible to us as we aren’t full hunters and huntresses yet,” Pyrrha suggested with a sigh, before smiling. “That is alright though. We have a start.”

Ruby smiled back at the red head, before looking at the book that Weiss had, over the heiress’ shoulder. Both books ended up on the table with the teams looking over them both. For the next hour they were silent, reading the information. Well, Weiss, Ren, Pyrrha, Blake and Ruby were reading, some surprise at the fact Ruby was reading, while Jaune, Nora and Yang were searching old newspapers on their scrolls, not actually reading, just scanning.

It was actually Ruby who pointed it out first. There was a small entry on Marluxia entering Vale on a date just over seventeen years ago. It was the only entry however. Apparently, according to the book, Marluxia had never left. Ruby knew this wasn’t true though. Her mother’s journal proved that.

“Where did he go?” she asked quietly. “How did he manage to leave undetected?”

No one had an answer for the young reaper. Desperate for more information, Ruby stood up and started searching the shelves in the library again, looking for anything. It took another hour for her to come back with nothing. There was a disheartened look on the reaper’s face, and she walked past the group and out of the library. Team JNPR and the rest of team RWBY all hurried to pack up and follow her out.

The two teams called out to the young teen, calling her back, calling her to wait. Ruby kept walking though, pulling up her hood as she went, walking away from the library and the feeling of hopelessness. There was nothing in the library about Marluxia, Professor Ozpin didn’t have many answers either, and her mother’s journal was filled with only moments of her time with the man. There was nothing to be found.

Weiss decided that enough was enough.

“RUBY ROSE!!!”

Ruby paused and looked back as her partner marched up to her and placed her hands on her hips. The young reaper cringed at the angry expression on the heiress’ face. Instead of yelling however, Weiss, in a display she would deny later, wrapped her arms around Ruby, her expression softening.

“I know we couldn’t find anything in the library you dolt,” she murmured to the younger girl. “But that isn’t reason to give up. We’ll find this Marluxia, if we need to we’ll ask one of the Professors to help us get to records that we can’t access, we’ll ask people around where your mum was doing her missions. We’ve only looked in one place.”

“Yeah Rubes,” Yang said cheerfully as she walked up beside Weiss. “I know your semblance is speed, but you gotta slow down a bit here and be patient.”

Weiss took a step back and smiled slightly as Ruby took a breath and nodded with a small grin. The young reaper mumbled out an apology, before squawking in indignation as Yang ruffled her hair playfully. This light hearted moment was interrupted however by a smooth and polite voice.

“Excuse me, but you wouldn’t happen to be the daughter of Summer Rose, would you?”

The two teams spun around to face this new voice, only to find themselves looking at the man from Summer Rose’s drawings. He was wearing a black, long tailed vest with ragged ends, over a long sleeved white shirt that had a high collar, with darkened magenta pants tucked neatly into his black boots. It wasn’t the clothes that Summer had drawn, but Ruby recognised the man none the less.

“…… are you Marluxia?”

◇◆◇◆◇

Lauriam sighed, sitting outside one of the many cafés in Vale, tea in hand, but already cold, he had been sitting there for two hours and he had barely sipped his drink. His eyes were downcast slightly and he seemed to be lost in thought. Today he was asking around about Summer Rose. Sure, he knew the woman was dead, but he wanted to know about her family, about her daughter. His daughter. No one was willing to answer his questions, or they didn’t know, and the man didn’t want to press too hard, only to find himself getting arrested. That wouldn't do at all.

That was how he found himself here, outside the café with cold tea in his hands. Another sigh escaped his lips and he put the teacup in his hands down, next to some lien, and he stood up and walked away. Nobody stopped him. He sneered as the idea of stuffing his hands in his pockets flitted across his mind; such an action belonged to an old acquaintance. Yet another sigh and his face fell again. All he wanted to do was find_

“RUBY ROSE!!!”

The pink haired man paused, his head turning in the direction that the shrill exclamation had come from. There he saw the white haired teen from the newspaper he had read a few days ago, in a dress to match her hair, marching up to the black-red haired teen. She looked even more like Summer in person than she did in the newspaper. She had the hood of her red hood pulled up as well, causing a flash of concern to pass over Lauriam’s expression.

He watched as the white haired teen hugged the younger girl. He saw the blonde teen walk up too. He couldn’t hear the conversation they had, but it seemed to cheer the younger. Lauriam decided to approach the group, wanting to confirm this younger girl’s identity. The white haired teen had called her Ruby Rose… But was she really…?

“Excuse me, but you wouldn’t happen to be the daughter of Summer Rose, would you?”

His question prompted eight teens to look at him with shock, giving him the chance to notice them all properly. Along with Ruby, and her two companions he had first noticed, Lauriam also noted a black haired girl with amber-gold eyes, looking at him with an impassive expression, a hyperactive looking girl with orange-red hair, a black haired boy who had a pink streak in his fringe, and then off to the side slightly, a red haired girl with green eyes who reminded Lauriam too much of the man who had betrayed hi_ Marluxia, and a blonde boy who could have been that other boy who had joined the Organisation.

“…… are you Marluxia?”

The hesitant question was asked by the youngest girl, Ruby. Lauriam visibly cringed at the sound of his Nobody name. It was an unwanted reminder really. However the pink haired man couldn’t complain really, since he was following his memories as Marluxia to find this girl.

“That is no longer my name,” he said with a small cough, trying to hide his discomfort with the name. “I am called Lauriam now. I do wonder how you know of me though. Last I knew, Summer was adamant that she wouldn’t tell anyone.”

Perhaps that was the wrong thing to say, that was the impression that Lauriam got when quite quickly the blonde got angry, her lilac eyes turning red. Lauriam held up his hands in surrender, showing that he was unarmed, usually a universal sign that one meant no harm, but he was forced to step aside to dodge the teen as she literally flew at him to punch him.

“Yang, no!” Ruby cried. “Let him talk!”

“But Ruby!” the blonde_ Yang protested. “He left you! Left mum! If he had stayed then_”

“Then Ruby would have been noticed by someone you would not have wanted the attention of,” Lauriam interrupted. Why was he saying this? He wasn’t entirely sure why, as Marluxia, he had cared if Ruby had been discovered or not. Marluxia didn’t have a heart after all. However for some reason, that explanation felt right. So he accepted it as the answer he gave. It certainly caught the attention of the eight teens however.

“What do you mean?” the black haired girl asked. Lauriam noted that her bow twitched, was she a faunus, like the other humanoid people he had seen with animal traits? Question for later, for now he looked at Ruby with eyes expressing his confliction. He wanted to talk to her, about Summer, about himself, but not here, with her friends, because the explanations he had were only for Ruby’s ears, and perhaps Headmaster Ozpin’s as well. Momentarily he wondered how to deal with this.

“Would it be possible to speak with the Headmaster of Beacon?” he asked himself, choosing to ignore the question asked of him. “It would be better for him, and Ruby if she so desires, to hear what I have to say first, and Ruby deserves to hear it as well.”

There were underlying emotions in that simple request. Pain. Hurt. Fear. Confusion. Despair. Ruby’s silver eyes met the ocean blue eyes of Lauriam. The young girl was an empathetic person clearly, as she seemed to see all of that. Her expression softened, relaxed as she tilted her head to the side, smiling.

“We can take you to Beacon,” she offered, gaining a reprimanding glare from the white haired teen. Of course, none of the other teens trusted him. He looked at them all again and decided it was safe to assume that they were all Beacon students.

“Ruby, what are you doing?” the white haired girl hissed quietly into Ruby’s ear. Though Lauriam heard the question, he didn’t react to it, especially when he heard Ruby’s reply.

“We’re bringing him to Ozpin, there are eight of us, and he is unarmed. Maybe he has a hidden weapon but we’d notice if he went to pull it out. There is literally nothing wrong with doing as he asks.”

Lauriam smiled slightly, realising that this white haired teen thought he was a threat to Ruby. Well… that wasn’t entirely wrong. Marluxia, any connection to Marluxia, could be a threat to the young teen. His thoughts couldn’t continue however as whatever argument the girls were having ended and the white haired teen begrudgingly gestured in the direction behind her and she started walking. Taking it as an invitation, Lauriam followed after, almost laughing as the teens got into a loose formation around him, looking natural about it, as if they were just walking and HE was the escort. The pink haired man noted that it was the group who was escorting him however.

It didn’t take the teens long to lead Lauriam to the bullheads. He did well to hide his hesitation of stepping onto such an unfamiliar machine, the perpetual smile on his face now he knew he was drawing from Marluxia. There wasn’t anything more he could do.

The ride to Beacon was a short few minutes, however the silence amongst the group, and the looks being traded between the teens, made the trip drag out.

◇◆◇◆◇

Ruby watched the man from the corner of her eyes, curious about him. He was certainly more expressive than her mum had described. Was he not a Nobody anymore? What was a Nobody? These questions didn’t have answers currently, so instead she tried to see if she could see any of herself in his features, after all, if he was her father, then surely something about her would look alike with this man.

His hair, it spiked out like hers. Ruby remembered that her mum had smooth hair, it always fell in soft waves, but her own hair, while not as wild as Mar_ Lauriam’s hair, it did not sit flat, it kinked out in places at random. Ruby could see that similarity. There was also his stance. The way he stood, it was… so similar to the way she would stand. Ruby wondered if he had a similar weapon to her.

She looked away from the man after she realised she was starting to stare. She pushed her eyes in the direction of Beacon, which was drawing near. They would be landing soon. Ruby sighed and pushed herself up from the chair she had been seated in.

Once the bullhead had landed, Ruby, Ren and Blake, through a silent discussion, were the ones chosen to lead Lauriam up to the Headmaster’s office, while Weiss and Jaune went to find Professor Goodwitch, and Yang, Nora and Pyrrha returned to JNPR’s dorm room to discuss Lauriam’s appearance in Vale.

Blake and Ren left Ruby with Lauriam at the elevator up.

“Are you sure Ruby?” Blake asked with a concerned expression, one which was echoed on Ren’s face as well. Ruby smiled and nodded, giving the faunas an enthusiastic thumbs-up as she walked towards the doors of the elevator. Blake asked one more question that made the young reaper pause.

“Do you trust him?”

“Well I trust that he won’t try anything from here to the top floor.”

The door to the elevator closed before Blake could protest the provided response. It wasn’t a proper answer; it wasn’t really the answer to Blake’s question. Lauriam gave Ruby an appraising look as the elevator started moving up.

“So what is the honest answer to your friend’s question?” he asked curiously. Ruby blinked, looking up at him, silver once again meeting blue. She hadn’t expected such a simple question, though she supposed it was a logical question. The answer Ruby gave to the pink haired man was an answer she had to think about. She was silent in the few moments it took to actually think her response.

“I don’t know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marluxia is Lauriam, but, as of current, Lauriam is not Marluxia. Have I confused you yet?
> 
> Hey to all my readers, thanks for reading the first three chapters of my first fanfic on AO3. I won't be uploading until after Christmas now, I'm just too busy on Sundays. So in lieu of this I have just one thing to say to everyone until my next upload. Merry Christmas or if not Christmas then the holiday greeting you use!


	4. Facts Past and Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A question of trust, and a conversation over the phone isn't the best place to sort out feelings.

_“I don’t know.”_

Those three simple words echoed uncomfortably around the elevator, and Ruby wished she could snatch them back. She went to apologise, opening her mouth hurriedly only to pause when Lauriam started laughing quietly. The laugh was… wrong. The kind of laugh that denoted the feeling of resignation, but something in the pink haired man’s expression didn’t connect to the emotion in the laugh. It was disconcerting.

“There is only two answers to that question Ruby,” he said quietly. “Yes, you do trust me, or no, you do not. If you doubt whether you trust me or not, then you don’t.”

Ruby had no response to that, and she fell silent to contemplate what he had said. The rest of the ride up the elevator was silent; neither of the pair within spoke. That was, until right before the door opened. Ruby turned to Lauriam slightly with a small smile on her face.

“I want to trust you,” she said softly before stepping out of the elevator. Once again Lauriam found himself pretending like he didn’t react to the situation. He schooled his face of the shock he was feeling and followed the teen into the room. Immediately his gaze was drawn to the white haired, green clad man sitting behind the desk in the room. A man he recognised.

“Headmaster Ozpin,” Lauriam greeted with a wary tone. He was Marluxia last time they met, a Nobody without a heart, and the expressionless motions to match. Now he was Lauriam, a recompleted Somebody.

“Marluxia,” Ozpin replied, with much the same tone, making Lauriam grimace again. There was a pause before the pink haired man spoke again.

“I am no longer a Nobody,” he sighed, closing his eyes. “Marluxia is no longer my name. I am once again Lauriam, and I came here in hopes of finding the only clear hint to my memories.”

Well that made both Ruby and Ozpin pause as they both turned their undivided attention to Lauriam. The pink haired man sighed, knowing that he was in for a conversation with more questions than answers. However this was the reason he had come here; to sort out the disparity between his memories and his emotions. He stopped to consider his words.

“I am Lauriam, and Marluxia is my Nobody,” he started. “When I lost my heart so many years ago, I created a Heartless, the culmination of all the darkness in my heart, and a Nobody, the empty husk left behind. By technicality I am not Marluxia, however much Marluxia may be me. But, all I remember is being Marluxia. I have little to no memories of being Lauriam. I know my name… I think I had a sister, but her name escapes me… And then foggy memories of friends… Grief…”

He fell silent for a moment, trying to fight through the fog of his memories. The man was startled out of his failing attempts at recollection by a hand touching his arm comfortingly. Lauriam looked to see Ruby looking at him with concern. The pinkette man wondered for a moment about this girl, who had admitted to not trusting him, yet now was trying to comfort him. He took a breath and continued.

“When I awoke, recompleted, I couldn’t remember anything except being Marluxia,” Lauriam said with a sigh. “In all the memories I have from Marluxia, there was only one discrepancy of actions that I can note. Why did Mar_ I work so hard to hide Ruby from Xemnas? An attachment to another world, she could have been used against me. But I shouldn't have cared about that. So why did I work so hard to hide Ruby? So I chose to chase that discrepancy.”

“You chose to look for Ruby,” Ozpin noted. Lauriam nodded, gasping in surprise as Ruby hugged him. She looked up at him with eyes which were shining with hopefulness, and sympathy. The pink haired man looked away. This girl was too trusting it seemed, despite her earlier statement of distrust.

“Ruby…” Lauriam sighed quietly. “There is a disconnection between my emotions and my actions. I’ve spent so long being an emotionless husk; I don’t remember what each emotion is meant to be.”

“I’ll remind you then,” Ruby hummed firmly. Her tone was rather decisive, she had made her choice. She believed in him, but Lauriam wasn’t sure if he believed in himself currently. When he looked down at Ruby again, he could see the thousands of questions floating around her head, but she didn’t ask any of them. What Lauriam didn’t realise was that Ruby was sorting through these questions to ask him later.

“Tell me Lauriam,” came the interruption from Ozpin, making the pink haired man look at the Headmaster. “Now that you are here, what are your intentions?”

There was a clear warning in those words. Ozpin was still assessing whether or not Lauriam was a threat, either to his school or to Ruby, perhaps even to Remnant. Marluxia seemed intent on hanging over Lauriam’s head no matter what. Lauriam could have gotten annoyed; he certainly could feel the underlying burn of annoyance; however he didn’t act on it. Instead he conceded to the caution that Ozpin had and answered the question.

“Hopefully piece together my missing memories,” he replied. “If you don’t want me anywhere near Ruby, that is perfectly fine, I understand, I was never there in the first place. I have no right to insert myself in her life.”

_To lose is to find and to find is to lose,_ the words Marluxia had spoken oh so recently before his defeat echoed through his mind, mocking, taunting him for losing his memories to find Ruby, only to be about to lose Ruby after finding her. What was this feeling of tightness in his chest? It was crushing. _To lose and claim anew, or to claim anew only to lose…_

“I do believe that choice is Ruby’s,” Ozpin hummed, bringing his hands in front of him, raising his eyebrow. Well Ruby’s grin, sparkling up at him with something… mixed with uncertainty, answered that question. That was an expression he recognised through Marluxia, who had caused uncertainty in his opponents. However Ruby’s desire, to know him, spoke louder than her hesitance.

“Do you trust me, Ruby?” Lauriam asked, echoing Blake’s question. Ruby looked up and took a step back; she gave him a glance which sized him up. Then she smiled and held out her hand. For the first time since she discovered the name Marluxia, she wasn’t uncertain about what she was about to do. Sure she was uncertain what would come out of it, but she didn’t doubt her actions. If ever there was a time for blind faith, now was that time.

“No, but I want to,” She said, echoing both her words, and taking to heart what Lauriam had told her in the elevator. Lauriam laughed, but this time is was a genuine laugh which echoed with amusement. Silver eyes met ocean blue as the pink haired man reached out and took the offered hand. The handshake that followed was so formal, like there was an unspoken agreement between the pair.

Lauriam turned to Ozpin and opened his mouth to speak, but the Headmaster held up his hand to interrupt whatever was going to be said. Ozpin stood up and walked over to the window, looking outside. No emotion could be picked from his face and his copper eyes were hidden by the glare of his glasses. He appeared to be thinking about something.

“Lauriam,” he started. “If you truly intend to remain in Vale, then there is something I have to request of you. Ms Rose, please head back down to your teammates, I will bring Lauriam to you after we speak. After which you will have the chance to talk. Though right now, I do believe you have a call to make.”

Ruby froze at the reminder and then let out a sigh. She then took a breath, and gave a faux-smile and a wave before she headed back to the elevator. The moment she was gone, Ozpin turned to face Lauriam with a serious expression on his face.

“Tell me Lauriam; is your combat skill Marluxia’s or your own?”

◇◆◇◆◇

Both teams were waiting in JNPR’s dorm room when Ruby returned, Weiss and Jaune reporting that they had told Professor Goodwitch and she was heading to the Headmaster’s office. Ruby sighed and rolled her eyes, smiling sheepishly as her friends jump up and started hounding her with questions. Holding up her hands, the young reaper took a step back.

“Guys, I’m fine, really,” she assured them. “Lauriam is talking to Professor Ozpin now. The Professor will bring him to us here once they finish talking, then you can ask him all the questions instead. I have to…. Yang…. Can we call… ehhh…”

Her voice trailed off as she realised that she still hadn’t worked out how she was going to address Taiyang Xiao Long. Ruby looked down, but Yang understood and pulled out her scroll, in a far calmer manner than she had after Ruby had announced her discovery. The little reaper gasped as a hand came to rest on her shoulder. She looked up to see Pyrrha smiling at her.

“Don’t worry Ruby,” the red head said, her green eyes shining with kindness. “We’re right behind you.”

“Hey dad,” Yang said in a neutral tone. Everyone looked over to the brawler, watching her with her scroll up to her ear, the screen displaying the contact of ‘Dad’. “Yeah, sorry, I was gonna call you earlier this week, but that wouldn’t have been a pretty conversation……… No dad, nothing bad has happened...... well that’s up for debate actually……… Dad… DAD! ……… Ruby has a question for you. I’ll put you on speaker.”

A few quick motions later and the voice of Taiyang was heard by the room.

“Ruby?”

“Hey….” Ruby said in response, hesitating a moment before the encouraging nods from her friends had her pressing forward. “Um this question will probably sound random, but I wanted to ask…. Who is Marluxia?”

The silence from the phone was deafening. Ruby didn’t squirm now however. Her friends were here and now that she had asked the question, she was eager to see if the man who raised her would tell the truth. Ruby’s face was set with determination.

“… I had hoped that I would never hear that name from your mouth,” Taiyang said after a while. “Actually, I had hoped to never hear that name again. Marluxia is dead, he can’t come back… Summer and I agreed that it was better for you to have a father instead of asking after someone who wouldn’t come back_”

“But he did come back,” Ruby interrupted quietly, making Taiyang pause. The young reaper took a breath and pressed forward. “Today, in Vale, we met him. He’s not called Marluxia anymore, but it is him. Professor Ozpin gave me mum’s drawings of Marluxia.”

The deafening silence returned with a snap. Ruby found herself tensing, waiting for the man on the other side of the scroll to say something, anything.

“I’m so sorry Ruby.”

Ruby was silent for a few moments, trying to formulate her response. Blake’s words from earlier in the week echoed back through her mind. _You feel betrayed. You feel **betrayed. YOU feel BETRAYED.**_ Yes. She felt betrayed.

“… who are you to me?” was the question that made its way from her mouth, conveying the hurt, the betrayal she felt. “I found out from a book. Not from you… who… Who are you to me?”

“Ruby….”

That was the last thing that Taiyang said before Yang took her scroll back and walked outside of JNPR’s dorm. The group left in the room didn’t hear anything until a minute later when they heard Yang start yelling into her scroll. They couldn’t hear what she was saying because they were too far away, but it wasn’t hard to discern the topic. 

Nora clapped her hands together before grabbing Ruby’s hands and dragging her over to Pyrrha’s bed, seating the young reaper on the edge.

“Well then, I think we need a little fun to offset the sad!” she declared. “So I am declaring a RWBY vs JNPR charades contest! And since Yang is currently preoccupied, I shall keep a fair and unbiased score! It is only right that both teams have same number of participants.”

Both teams agreed to this and started to play their game, but fair and unbiased Nora was not. It was hard to play a scored game when the hammer wielder was giving points based on performance, and was always tacking on ‘full points’ to Ren’s performances. It was when Weiss was scolding Nora that Ozpin and Lauriam walked in. No one noticed at first because they were too busy laughing. Ruby noticed first though, she stopped laughing when she noticed the Headmaster’s serious expression.

“Headmaster is something wrong?” she asked quietly, making all her friends turn to the door to look at the two men who had just entered.

“I have sent Miss Xiao Long to my office,” he said. “She was causing a scene with her argument with her father. As promised though, I have brought Lauriam back here. I will leave you all to it. And Miss Valkyrie, if you don’t play by the proposed rules of the game then you’ll find that your friends stop wanting to play with you.”

Nora grinned and apologised with a chirp. The two teams started laughing again. Ozpin left, leaving Lauriam in the room, looking around as if surveying something. He startled when Nora stared at him.

“Well since Yang isn’t here, would you like to play charades?” she asked. “There’s no better way to break the ice and all.”

The pink haired man almost said no, but then thought against it. He didn’t have anything better to do, and it would give him a chance to talk to Ruby as well. He shrugged and accepted, sitting where Nora directed him with a roll of his eyes. Momentarily a ghost of a memory swelled in his mind. Had he done something like this before….? With who?

_ <strike>Strelitzia, where are you?</strike> _

◇◆◇◆◇

_Sometimes I see Luxia lost in thought, as if he were trying to remember something, but whenever I ask, he waves it away with that faux-smile. It was my turn on watch last night when I heard it though. A name, whispered brokenly from his sleeping form. Strelitzia. I know that name; it is the name of a flower, a bird of paradise. I asked once, the month after we met, about his past. His expression changed briefly to something colder, but his eyes were empty. He said he didn’t remember. I believe him… but subconsciously… I think there is a part of him that does. I dare not repeat his broken whisper to him. Not yet, not while we are only just getting close…_

_Marluxia, what happened in your past?_

__

\- Summer Rose’s Journal, Personal Entries

__

__  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back from Christmas mayhem! How is everyone?!? As you may have noticed - I created a series for this. The name can either be seen as an allusion to Marluxia x Summer OR Ruby being Marluxia's daughter. Both work hahaha.
> 
> I have finally decided what Ruby will address Taiyang and Lauriam as! They're both her father, I will get into what Ruby specifically calls Taiyang in chapter 8 (will be dad, but different word)! However, with Lauriam, a few things have to happen specifically before she calls him dad. REMEMBER - Ruby doesn't trust Lauriam yet.
> 
> As noted in the chapter summary, a phone isn't the best place to have such a big conversation, and it's only been a few days since Ruby found out. Trust me, it will all work out. Phones are terrible platforms for important conversations. Especially so soon after a ground breaking discovery.
> 
> NEXT TIME - Blake gives some good advice! Ruby is confused! Lauriam and Ruby do scythe training! Yang, Nora and Pyrrha discuss Lauriam! Not necessarily in that order!


	5. Scythes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their weapons are so similar, it was only natural that they train together.

Two weeks went by and Lauriam was a scarce sight around Beacon, though when possible Ruby was with him, asking him questions and answering his in turn. This was them trying to get to know each other, but also, Ruby worked out, Lauriam trying to remember his forgotten memories. Occasionally Ruby would also ask about the entries that Summer had written, and he shared stories from the year and few months he had spent with the woman. As the young reaper got to know him better, she could start seeing the underlying dead look that haunted his gaze, as if he wasn’t hopeful at the prospect of his memories returning. At other times there was grief that replaced that dead look, as if he almost remembered something sad. Very rarely did she see a look she’d rather forget, the look of horror and self-loathing. Ruby didn’t want to know what he thought about when he looked like that.

During this time however, despite all their talking that they managed to do, it was strange that Ruby had never asked Lauriam what his weapon was, especially since she knew that he was doing something combat related for Ozpin. He had told her himself. She never even thought to ask what his weapon was until the day, two weeks after they had met, where he approached her while she was training, just going through her forms with her scythe in hand and asked her a question.

“Why do you hold your scythe like that?”

Startled by the question, Ruby jumped, almost dropping Crescent Rose, which gave Lauriam the chance to take it gently from her hands. The young reaper almost shouted out her indignation at him taking her weapon without asking, before she noticed that he had taken a few steps away from her and was now swinging the weapon masterfully around him. She also noted that he was able to do it while alternating between using one and two hands on the long staff of the weapon. Ruby’s eyes widened in shock, her mouth falling open, and suddenly she remembered the drawings her mother had made, Marluxia with a scythe in hand, wondering if Lauriam still had that scythe.

“Do you… wield a scythe too?” she asked hesitantly, wondering if he would actually answer. Lauriam’s gaze shifted back to Ruby and he handed her back Crescent Rose before holding his hand up in the air and summoning a scythe in a flurry of cherry blossom petals. The scythe itself was shaped, and coloured like a flower, a flower which Ruby was certain she had seen before, but she couldn’t remember the name of. Pink blade, green shaft, yellow and orange accents. The scythe her mother had drawn.

“Graceful Dahlia,” Lauriam murmured. “Something from my time as a Nobody, it isn’t something I want to cling to, but for now it is my only weapon. Scythes are regarded as the weapon of death, did you know that? To call them anything less is an insult to the weapon.”

“…. Torchwick called Crescent Rose an oversized gardening tool…” Ruby muttered. Lauriam raised his eyebrow with a small smirk.

“Did he now?” the pink haired man asked. “While…. Historically accurate, it isn’t considered good form to ignore the fact that scythes are still considered deadly weapons, no matter their origin. Did you get the chance to show him the error in his judgement?”

Ruby scowled and shook her head, her hands clenching around her own scythe with frustration as she remembered the encounter. She didn’t want to remember that, her… failure, her lapse in judgement as a leader.

“Circumstance unfortunately found me without my weapon,” she replied, looking down, unable to meet the blue eyes of the man before her. There was a quiet chuckle and a gentle hand was placed on her head, ruffling her hair slightly. Ruby looked up.

“Even I have experienced the misfortune of losing my weapon,” Lauriam said reassuringly. “It is something you learn from and try your hardest to avoid.”

Ruby tilted her head, oddly enough, not reacting to the hand still resting on her head. She hummed quietly, biting her lip, trying to hold back her question. Lauriam gave her a look however, a cross between inviting her to speak and exasperation at her hesitance to ask. The little reaper was quiet for a few moments more before she finally spoke.

“What’s the most embarrassing way you’ve lost your weapon?” Ruby finally asked sheepishly. This caused the man before her to freeze slightly in shock, not that his face showed that shock. Lauriam’s pause was brief before he took his hand back from Ruby’s head and he walked to the side of the arena to lean against the wall. He hummed thoughtfully, his blue eyes closing as he tried to recall, or perhaps choose a moment. 

“Well… as a Nobody, I didn’t really have the heart to be embarrassed about anything,” he started, opening his eyes again. “However I can tell you a moment that would embarrass me now if I did it again.”

Ruby was staring at him with the look of someone who wanted to soak up all the words being said. Lauriam smiled.

“Let’s see,” he continued. “It was one of my first missions with the Organisation, and Xigbar, who was the one who was supervising me that day, was taking me to do recon. Go in, find out what we need to know, don’t get spotted, get out. No combat. I wasn’t prepared for heartless to jump me. Oh I got my scythe summoned, but without a tight enough grip, Graceful Dahlia was thrown from my grip. As Marluxia, I was overconfident in my ability, or perhaps I didn’t care to be cautious. I still remember Xigbar’s words though, as he shot the Heartless before they could claw me. ‘And that, Buttercup, is why you always prepare yourself for everything.’ I didn’t react then, but now, I probably would have been mortified.”

“Because you made a stupid mistake?” Ruby asked, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Or because he called you Buttercup?”

Lauriam started to laugh at that, pushing himself off the wall. Now he was leaning on Graceful Dahlia.

“Xigbar gave nicknames to a fair few in the Organisation,” he said with a snort. “He stopped calling me that after a while. He only kept nicknames tagged on those who had an actual reaction. So, I just told you about a time I lost my scythe, what about you?”

Ruby hummed quietly looking thoughtful. Unconsciously, she hugged Crescent Rose closer, as she remembered Mountain Glenn and how she lost her weapon. That wasn’t the best judgement she had made, and because of it she had been put in danger, put her team in danger. The young reaper knew it would be stupid to not acknowledge the fact that they had been extremely lucky to have gotten out of Mountain Glenn alive.

“I lost Crescent Rose in Mountain Glenn a month ago,” Ruby sighed. “I shouldn’t have. I should not have been in that situation in the first place. I had found White Fang soldiers entering a building, and I rushed back, I didn’t take care in where I was walking, didn’t let Zwei lead me, and the ground collapsed from under me. I threw Crescent Rose onto the road where I expected to be able to climb up again, but after catching Zwei and making sure that he was safe, I couldn’t keep my grip and I fell. And I was captured by the White Fang after that.”

Lauriam considered the young teen for a moment before walking up to her again. Gently he took Crescent Rose from her hands and replaced it with Graceful Dahlia. Ruby looked up at the man with confusion, but wasn’t answered as he walked several paces away from her and took up a combat stance.

“You should learn to wield more than just Crescent Rose,” Lauriam stated gesturing forward with Ruby’s scythe. “While my weapon is also a scythe, it has no gun on it, nor can it transform. It is a start. I would suggest that you learn to wield your teammate’s weapons as well, and other weapons, so that if you ever find yourself in a situation where you don’t have Crescent Rose, you won’t be defenceless. You will be able to pick up or take a weapon from your opponent and fight with that.”

Ruby’s eyes widened as she realised Lauriam was challenging her to a spar, and that Crescent Rose was being used against her. She discerned what the pink haired man wasn’t saying. Just as she could learn and use other weapons, take weapons from White Fang goons, so too could they take and use Crescent Rose against her. The proposed thought was jarring and one that confronted her. Hesitantly, Ruby tested the weight of Graceful Dahlia in her hand. It was lighter than Crescent Rose, most likely because it didn’t have all the transformative parts which changed the red and black scythe between its forms. However, as expected of the weapon, it was still fairly weighty. 

The pink bladed scythe was swung around in an experimental manner, and the doubt that was on Ruby’s face faded. She finally swung the scythe to rest in her usual combat stance, ready to rush forward and attack Lauriam. Neither of them moved at first, they just stared at each other. When Lauriam shifted his grip on Crescent Rose, Ruby dashed forward, seemingly disappearing in a flurry of rose petals, trying to surprise the tall man. When she reappeared a second later, Graceful Dahlia already swinging to attack, Crescent Rose was already there, blocking. Ruby’s eyes widened with shock and she quickly jumped away, forgetting for a moment that she didn’t have her own weapon in hand as she tried to fire a dust round out of habit. The shift in weight wasn’t followed by the recoil of Crescent Rose propelling her backwards, and that made Ruby land with a thud as she suddenly realised her error.

“Alright, I think you are aware what you did wrong there,” Lauriam’s voice said smoothly, and the young reaper looked up to see the man offering her a hand back up. “You forgot which weapon you have in your hands and tried to fall to a habit to get away. Let’s run through the motions slowly before we go back to your semblance.”

He pulled Ruby up when she accepted the offered hand. Lauriam watched as Ruby picked up Graceful Dahlia.

“I also underestimated my opponent,” Ruby replied quietly, causing Lauriam to nod with approval. “I ran at you and was confident you wouldn’t be able to follow my movement, but you were and you were blocking my attack.”

“As a member of the Organisation I learned to judge where people would appear,” the pink haired man said. “I knew some who were fast, and quite a few of us used the skill of ‘teleportation’.”

Ruby opened her mouth to ask what he meant only for her jaw to drop as darkness seemed to swallow him up and he re-appeared several metres behind where he was, back where he had been standing when they had started their short spar. It took a few moments for the young teen to recover from the shock.

“Again?” Lauriam invited as if he hadn’t just teleported. Ruby’s grip on Graceful Dahlia tightened. This time when she ran forward she didn’t activate her semblance. This time Lauriam called out small corrections to her stance. This time, Ruby was listening, rather than fighting to prove her skill.

When the pair finished, Ruby felt like she had actually learned something. She took back Crescent Rose, handing Lauriam’s scythe back to him quietly. Breathing heavily, but quietly, Ruby smiled at the man and bowed. In her mind she remembered seeing Yang and…. 

Ruby cut of the thought and looked down.

“Thank-you,” she murmured quietly. “I… enjoyed learning from you. Maybe we can do it again…?”

“Of course, Ruby,” Lauriam replied as he let Graceful Dahlia fade. “I will look forward to it.”

The young reaper grinned slightly, clipping her folded scythe behind her, before she waved farewell and walked away. Lauriam watched her go with a responding smile. But once she had left the arena, his smile dropped into a look of concern.

“You’re right Ozpin,” he hummed softly. “She isn’t alright.”

◇◆◇◆◇

In the city of Vale Yang, Blake, Nora and Pyrrha were walking and discussing Lauriam and his appearance, as well as his effect on Ruby. They found a small café to stop at and they quickly ordered drinks.

“I’m just saying she seems to be growing closer to him but we still know next to nothing about Lauriam,” Pyrrha was saying as they waited for their orders. “I’m happy that Ruby wants to connect with this man, but I feel hesitant not knowing much about him, especially since it is Ruby he’s talking to.”

“Professor Ozpin seems to trust Lauriam though,” Blake pointed out passively. “Though I do agree there is some need for caution. But we shouldn’t worry Ruby with it though; she’s already dealing with enough, trying to sort out her own thoughts. We can be cautious for her.”

“Aren’t we always though?” Nora asked with a fond smile. The four girls burst out laughing, accepting their drinks from the waitress when she came over. For the next few minutes they drifted away from the conversation of Lauriam for a while. That was until they noticed the very man walking down the street with a troubled expression on his face. Exchanging glances, Pyrrha stood up and walked over to him, speaking to him quietly for a few moments before they both walked back over to Yang, Blake and Nora. 

“Ruby has walked off into her own thoughts,” Lauriam said quietly to the group once he was standing at the table. “We were sparring together, I was instructing her use of the scythe. When we finished she seemed to think of something which made her draw back. I fear what darkness she may be spiralling into if left alone with them for too long.”

“Why haven’t you asked her about it then?” Yang asked, almost challengingly. The pink haired man’s expression twisted wryly as his blue gaze rested on the blonde.

“I am neither her confidant nor her friend right now,” he replied. “Currently I am a stranger who she is trying to get to know. Her real father, whom she knows nothing about, who has fallen into her life after she discovered that what she thought was real, wasn’t. No, it would be counteractive for me to speak to her. So I am telling you.”

Yang thought about that answer, it struck a chord in her heart which resonated with a sad thought which had been plaguing her mind ever since Ruby had told her that they weren’t really sisters. The blonde looked down at her hands and then she shifted her gaze to Blake next to her. It took a moment before Yang could formulate the words in her head before she spoke them, and then she surprised her friends with the considered response she made.

“Blake, could you go find Ruby and talk to her?” she murmured. “She is more likely to talk to you at the moment. She’ll tell you the truth, whereas she likely won’t tell me because she won’t want to potentially cause more of a rift between myself, her and dad.”

It was with a bit of shock that Yang noted that Lauriam’s eyes widened slightly. Seems he wasn’t aware of just how much Ruby was struggling with accepting the truth. The brawler took committed that small detail to memory with a bit of savage glee. It seemed that Ruby wasn’t confiding everything with this man as she had first feared her sister would do. Lauriam was telling the truth then, he wasn’t Ruby’s confidant. That chain of thought was interrupted by Blake nodding and standing up, offering her chair to Lauriam.

“I’ll be back,” she promised, nodding to the group before walking off. The cat Faunus realised she didn’t know her team leader as well as she could have, especially this far into the school year, but she had an idea on where Ruby would go. Yang’s revelations had helped her there, and with what Blake did know about her leader, she surmised that the young reaper had gone to either the docks, or one of the dust shops, two places she could wander aimlessly to think, and of them both, the docks were more likely, since no one would interrupt the young reaper. Blake knew, because she had seen Ruby do that once before, looking for Penny.

And Blake was right, mostly, as when she reached the docks, Ruby was there, hood pulled up over her head, sitting watching the water as she sat on the end of the pier. The cat Faunus sat next to the reaper without a word, offering silent support. The pair said together in silence for a few minutes, watching the water below them. Blake noted the fish in the water below, trying to count them all.

“He used to train Yang like that…” Ruby murmured suddenly, though Blake’s only reaction was to shift her gaze to the side. “Back when we were younger, before I went to Signal. Yang came home with her weapon and immediately challenged him…. She tossed to the floor within seconds and all he did was correct her stance and told her to try again…”

Blake knew then that Ruby was talking about Taiyang. The cat Faunus looked out across the water and hummed softly.

“You didn’t train with him?” she asked. Ruby shook her head in response.

“He tried but….” 

“His fighting style wasn’t yours?” Blake finished, gaining an affirmative sound from the reaper beside her. “Ruby…. When you were training with Lauriam, what was it like?”

Ruby was quiet, but the cat Faunus waited for her to respond. While waiting she looked down at the fish in the water again, not really seeing them. Her amber-gold eyes followed Ruby’s shadow over the water instead.

“It was fun, I learned something… It was like Uncle Qrow’s lessons… But calmer… I… I enjoyed it.”

There was another question that Blake wanted to ask Ruby, but the cat Faunus left it alone. She would ask again tomorrow. She decided to change the subject, since it looked like there was also something else on Ruby’s mind, because the girl had started frowning.

“So what else did you talk to him about?”

“Well… there was actually something I wanted to ask him,” Ruby hummed, finally looking up with a wry smile. “But it was too awkward to slip it into the conversation. My mum wrote notes in her journal on… some of the people that Marluxia knew, and he mentioned one of them.”

Blake smiled and laughed softly. Her ears twitched in amusement.

“Perhaps you can bring it up next time then,” she suggested, smile widening when Ruby made a more cheerful sound of agreement. The pair fell into a comfortable silence this time, sitting quietly together. Eventually they stood up and made their way back to the café. Lauriam had left, but that was okay. Yang had a thoughtful look on her face. Pyrrha exchanged a glance with Blake, they would talk later.

◇◆◇◆◇

_I was watching Marluxia fight today. His form could be described as graceful, but deadly. He wields his scythe as if he were death himself. There is naught that I could fear with this man at my side, but woe to the ones who stand against him. Despite this however, I can see that he dare not openly go against this man he calls Xemnas. He doesn’t agree with this man, his boss, but something holds him back. If this Xemnas can make Marluxia stay his scythe, I am not sure I would ever meet him as a friend._

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\- Summer Rose’s Journal, Personal Entries

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year Everyone~!
> 
> RUBY USED GRACEFUL DAHLIA!!!! ERMAHGERD!!
> 
> This is a point I will be revisiting later, with both teams RWBY and JNPR. Because I find the concept of using different weapons interesting. And logical. And Jaune was using team RWBY's weapons in RWBY Chibi, even if it was a joke skit, it is still a logical course of action! So thus it shall happen in my fanfic. 
> 
> Next time - Mission time!


	6. Hunting Heartless -Part 1-

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When he asked for help, he didn't mean first year students who had no idea what Heartless were.

A week later, teams RWBY and JNPR were called out on a joint mission. It was assigned to them suddenly and they were told to pack at least two weeks’ worth of rations. Doctor Oobleck was with them for scientific purposes, as was Lauriam, for he was the one who requested back up. Why? Heartless were starting to show up, too close to the city for the liking of the former Nobody. He had asked Ozpin for help, and was displeased when he sent two teams of first years and one teacher to help. However he didn’t protest the assistance, he merely gave the Headmaster a certain look, before going off to where Ozpin said he would have the two teams meet him.

On the bullhead out to Forever Fall where the Heartless had been sighted, all the while Lauriam gave the two teams and the teacher a quick briefing on what Heartless were. As well as the danger they were about to walk into.

“Heartless are born when someone’s heart gets consumed by darkness,” Lauriam was saying, not looking at the teens behind him, instead looking out at the forest. “They are wild creatures, and they will seek to consume your own heart. There are two types of heartless as well; Pureblood and Emblem. The main difference between the two is unimportant as none of us have Keyblades.” Briefly the pink haired man’s eyes flickered to each of the student’s weapons. “However you should all note that Emblem Heartless tend to appear in stronger forms.”

“So are they like Grimm?” Jaune asked. Lauriam looked at the blonde with a serious expression on his face. The young knight almost shrunk away.

“Heartless and Grimm have many similarities,” the older reaper said, the words feeling familiar to Ruby as he spoke. “However Creatures of Grimm aren’t made from the darkness in hearts, but from pure darkness themselves. Grimm seek to attack humanity, Heartless seek to destroy a world’s heart. That is why we go to deal with them now. Normally weapons have no effect on Heartless; however, I was able to observe that the weapons of Hunters are able to affect the Grimm.”

Ruby stiffened as she realised that Lauriam was referring to her mother, but also that he was looking at her like he expected her to know this information. With a sinking feeling, Ruby realised that she had left her mother’s journal on her bed back at Beacon. The young reaper hissed in frustration as she looked away. By now the bullhead was flying over the red forest, eventually landing in a clearing. The two teams got off the bullhead and looked to the two adults for guidance.

“Right, it is time to embark out on our mission,” Oobleck started. “Be sure to take care out here, and keep in mind what Mr Lauriam has told us. We are likely to be here for several days as we assess the level of this threat and then deal with it.”

The two teams nodded, then followed Lauriam without a word when he started walking deeper into the forest, Doctor Oobleck bringing up the rear.

◇◆◇◆◇

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_xX Day 1 – Planning Xx_

  
The walk through the forest wasn’t that horrible in Weiss’ opinion, but the attitude change of the pink haired man who was leading them unnerved her. Currently no one was willing to speak, and the reason why was obvious. Everyone was listening out for Grimm… and now these Heartless things too. Weiss opened her mouth to ask a question but then noticed…. Lauriam and Oobleck seemed to be communicating with hand signals. Having noticed this, the heiress was more alert to notice when the pink haired man held up his hand indicating for everyone to stop.

Looking back, there was a look exchanged between the two adults before Lauriam faded into the darkness, petals emphasising the action. Five seconds passed before Doctor Oobleck started to speak quietly.

“Team JNPR,” he said seriously in that fast paced tone of his. “Walk out a short distance and make sure that there is no Grimm or Heartless within the trees around us. Team RWBY, you four will be helping me set up our base here.”

“Where did Lauriam go?” Weiss asked as she, along with her friends moved to follow the given instructions. Oobleck didn’t answer straight away, but once he finished his task he turned to Weiss.

“He has gone to gain a quick assessment of the enemies nearest to us.”

That wasn’t exactly comforting, but JNPR came back reporting that the forest immediately around them was clear. Five tents had been set up, under the trees and Oobleck had made a place for a fire, which would be used later.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Oobleck started, once all the students were gathered around, with Ruby sitting in one tree, keeping watch and Ren sitting in another doing the same. “The mission we are now on is different to your previous missions. We have set up a base camp to be a place we can regroup if needed, and there is the possibility that we may need to remain out here past the two weeks we anticipated. We aren’t here for extermination but intelligence gathering.”

“Also known as reconnaissance,” Lauriam’s voice said just as a portal of darkness opened and the man himself stepped out, making the students gasp in surprise, Nora reaching for her weapon. “All we have to worry about currently within the next quarter-mile is shadows, Pureblood Heartless, and notably weak on their own, but become dangerous the more there are. Don’t let them swarm you.”

Everyone relaxed before looking at the pink haired man. Yang had to ask.

“Was that your semblance?”

“No, it was not, it is something that I shouldn’t actually be using that method of travel without proper equipment,” Lauriam replied.

“You make it sound like it could kill you,” Nora laughed, only to find the pink haired man giving her that look which basically proclaimed ‘that’s because it can kill me.’ The orange haired girl stopped laughing and looked away, mumbling an apology. Lauriam nodded and then pulled out a map which he had kept folded in his jacket and laid it out on the floor of the forest. The students, sans Ruby and Ren, gathered around, Oobleck chose to look over Nora’s shoulder at the map. It was hand drawn, not an official map.

“This is Forever Fall as I have observed it the weeks that I have been here looking into the Heartless for Ozpin,” Lauriam started quietly. “We need to keep them away from the city, as I highly suspect that the world’s heart is somewhere in one of the main cities, hence why we need to exterminate them now.”

Deep in the back of his mind was the thought that even the Hunters and Huntresses of Remnant wouldn’t be able to hold off the Heartless forever, without Keyblades they could only temporarily destroy the Heartless, eventually the Heartless would get to the heart of the world and devour it. However, even in the fifteen years that had passed in this world since he had left, the Heartless were still being held off, there weren’t that many. Which was a good sign, for now.

“How are we going to do that?” Pyrrha asked as she looked at the map. She pointed at the small mark that represented the city and then drew her finger back to the estimated point that they were currently seated. “We have a good distance between us and the city, but it isn’t a good enough distance between the city and these… Heartless as you called them.”

Lauriam’s blue eyes rose from the map and looked at Pyrrha for the briefest moment before dropping back down to the map as he pointed closer to the mountain range.

“Somewhere there is a giant Heartless,” he responded, the tone in his voice made the students shiver. “I asked for backup to clear out this forest and takeout said Heartless. What I got was two teams of students who are only in their first year of training. Now my plan has to change, because I am not taking students to fight an enemy I am not willing to fight alone. So we will be_”

“Excuse me,” Weiss interrupted, sounding insulted. “We train at Beacon Academy to fight monsters, you can’t possibly_

Now it was Weiss’ turn to be interrupted, this time by Oobleck. The professor cleared his throat, making everyone gathered around the map look at him. He took off his glasses and cleaned them with his shirt. He didn’t speak until he had put them securely on his face again.

“We train you, Miss Schnee, to fight against Grimm,” he stated seriously. “Not Heartless. These Heartless share characteristics with the Grimm, yes, but do not presume that they are the same, that is a mistake that could prove fatal. Heartless are an entirely new threat to Remnant. Do not forget that. Lauriam is currently the one with the most knowledge on these beasts.”

Weiss looked away and apologised tightly. The pink haired man sat back from leaning over his map and nodded to the heiress. He had a thoughtful expression on his face. There was an extended moment of silence. This silence was unnerving. Weiss looked back at the two adults to find that once again they were having a conversation without saying a word; the only indicator that they were communicating was the changing facial expressions and slight hand gestures.

“Alright then,” Lauriam finally sighed. “Ruby, Ren, come down from your trees a moment, we’ll be fine while I say this. I want you both to look me in the eyes when I say this.”

The pair startled, but quickly made their way down their trees, weapons still gripped tightly. The pink haired man then looked at the eight students standing before him.

“So you want to prove you can fight the giant heartless?” he asked, gaining a few nods. “Six days. I will give you six days to prove your fighting skill as well as your teamwork. After which I will make a judgement as to whether you can or not. During this time we will be clearing this forest of Heartless. However, all of you must display sufficient skill. Should one of you not meet the standard, we will not be hunting this giant Heartless. Am I understood?”

There was a chorus of agreement from the eight students. They all met his gaze when he looked at them. There was a mix of apprehension and determination. Lauriam nodded again, and then he pointed at his map again, sending Ruby and Ren back on watch. Oobleck stood up and added a third pair of eyes to the watch, standing by a tree. 

_xX Day 2 – Shadows Xx_

Jaune watched Ruby as she fought against Shadows, as Lauriam had called them. They were small black creatures with yellow eyes and antenna that pointed forward. The young reaper was currently cutting though them with a pink and green scythe, instead of Crescent Rose, which was in Lauriam’s hands. The blonde knight was confused; Ruby never let anyone touch her weapon, ever. So why was the scythe-rifle in the hands of a man who, for all intents and purposes, was a stranger?

He had no time to continue thinking on it however as his attention was brought back to the fight as a Heartless attacked his shield. Jaune brought up his sword and slashed as Pyrrha had taught him. He twitched as he heard the sound of Crescent Rose firing a shot. His mind had already placed Ruby ahead of his position; the sound of the sniper rifle was behind him. He didn’t think he’d get used to that.

Now that he noted it, a few others had flinched as well when Lauriam fired Crescent Rose. Yang’s was the most obvious, while Pyrrha’s was the least, but their reactions were visible. Nora and Blake didn’t react at all. 

“Huh,” Lauriam’s voice rumbled quietly, seeing the Heartless he had shot was barely dented. “I didn’t think that would work. Note to self, bullets don’t work on Heartless.”

“Use Dust bullets,” Ruby shot at him flatly, making the pink haired man smirk.

“I wouldn’t waste a spell cast on Shadows, so why would I waste Dust?”

Jaune sent a questioning look at Pyrrha who shrugged in response. She wasn’t sure what Lauriam had meant by ‘spell cast’ either. The blonde knight was left to ponder it for the rest of the day. He didn’t think he’d get used to the disorientation of hearing Cresent Rose being fired from somewhere other than Ruby’s position.

_xX Day 3 – Scouting Xx_

There was something very off with this forest, the hints of this fact were littered around. Yang had passed by trees with long, deep scratches scoring them, causing the sap to bleed from the trunks. These gashes in the trees weren’t small either, they were huge, indicating to a large beast. Something was horribly wrong, and Yang felt that off feeling crawling up her skin. Beside her, about fifty paces to the left and also scanning the area, was Ren. She could see that he felt it too.

The two students walked for another few paces before they met up. They stop next to one of the gashed trees. Ren puts his hand over the markings.

“Something tells me that this isn’t the work of any of the small Heartless or a Grimm,” he said seriously. Yang nodded in agreement. Quietly she wondered what kind of creature had caused such damage. It wasn’t a comforting thought in the slightest. She scanned the area then pointed ahead at a tree where they hadn’t walked. It looked as though it had been snapped in half. Yang’s mouth ran dry.

“I think it’s time to walk back and report,” she murmured. Ren looked up at her with a perplexed expression. 

“Why not just use_” he asked before Yang pushed him around to face the tree. The ninja’s mouth fell into a look of realisation. Nope, no using scrolls. Not while they didn’t know anything else about the Heartless.

“This is getting far too close to the city,” the blonde brawler hissed as she and Ren quickly made their way back to the camp, trying to move as quietly as possible. When they reached the camp, only Oobleck and Nora were there. Lauriam had taken Weiss and Pyrrha further into the forest than Yang and Ren had gone, while Ruby, Blake and Jaune were scouting back in the forest to find signs of Heartless drawing closer to the city.

“Ah, Miss Xiao Long, Mr Ren, welcome back,” Oobleck greeted his two students. Ren looked at the man who was oddly not drinking coffee at this moment.

“This giant Heartless,” he started quietly. “We found what we believe to be claw marks from it on the trees, as well as a tree that was completely snapped in half.”

Nora looked up from the map which was once again laid out on the ground, her eyes wide.

“But…. You and Yang were only exploring the kilometre radius in front of camp!” she exclaimed. “That’s too close!”

“Doctor Oobleck,” Yang said, turning to the teacher. “What do we do?”

It took a moment for the man to respond. Yang’s mouth went dry again and she swallowed thickly trying to wet it again. She remembered what Lauriam had said two days ago. _I asked for backup to clear out this forest and takeout said Heartless. What I got was two teams of students who are only in their first year of training._ Yang had seen Deathstalkers knock trees over, had seen King Tajitus break walls when they crashed into them. Never had she seen a perfectly healthy tree that had been snapped in half, roots still sitting in the ground with the top of the tree lying beside it.

She realised exactly why Lauriam had changed his plans when he was sent students. _They weren’t prepared for this._

“For now we shall wait here,” Oobleck said with a grim expression on his face. “I could send you to find either of our other teams; however that would be ill advised if the enemy is closer than we expected.”

When Ruby, Blake and Jaune returned they brought a chillingly similar story, they had seen significant damage to the forest closer to the city, not as horrific as what Yang and Ren had found, but still too close to the city. Lauriam returned with Weiss and Pyrrha not long after. The frown that formed on the pink haired man’s face was not comforting. He told everyone to stay in camp and then he ran off into the forest, silently without even a rustle of grass.

_xX Day 4 – Assessment Xx_

Lauriam was watching them, Pyrrha realised as she threw her shield at the shadow Heartless. Using her semblance to snatch the shield back, the red head glanced at Jaune who was doing decently against the heartless. Ren and Nora were working together as well.

“Pyrrha!” Jaune called, pointing with his sword at something. The warrior looked and saw a new swarm of Heartless approaching, different from the shadows, they looked like clouds of shadow, covered with purple spikes. Pyrrha and Jaune nodded to each other before running at the new Heartless…

… only to discover that their weapons phased through the Heartless. Their attacks still seemed to damage the creatures, but not as much as was expected. The knight and the warrior jumped back and re-evaluated their strategy.

“Do you still have some of that burn dust Pyrrha?” Jaune asked, glancing to the red head beside him. Pyrrha smiled and pulled the vial from her belt pouch. It was her last one, but she knew how to make the most of it. The two teens jumped backwards.

Opening the glass tube, Pyrrha tossed it, spinning, into the Heartless, red dust glittering as it slowly fell, scattering around the Heartless swarm. Once the young teen was satisfied with the spread of burn dust, she fired her rifle at it, flame enhanced bullets igniting the dust in a dramatic explosion. The Heartless disappeared in a large puff of smoke.

The area around team JNPR was clear now. Lauriam walked forward and looked at the team of four.

“Well done,” he said quietly. The pink haired man made a gesture with his hand and started to lead the way back to the camp, where Pyrrha hoped team RWBY and Professor Oobleck were waiting. She couldn’t stop the question that was burning in her throat from escaping while they were walking.

“Were you assessing our skills?”

The look that Lauriam gave her was the look of someone who was trying to convince themselves of a fact.

“That I have been,” he admitted, though he smirked at the quartet. “How else am I meant to uphold my end of the bargain.”

Pyrrha didn’t comment on how his expression betrayed the partial lie.

◇◆◇◆◇

_Teams RWBY and JNPR are clearly skilled in their talents, and like all students, their weaknesses are apparent. Given time they will be fine fighters. However their talents are not enough to face the Heartless in Forever Fall. I should be sending them home as soon as the Heartless clean up in this forest is finished. However, I fear that I do not have that option anymore and I will have to send two teams of first year students against an enemy they aren’t prepared for. They should have had more support than myself and Dr Oobleck the first time they faced down something like this. I hope I am wrong, that my fears are unfounded, but now I highly suspect that the Heartless is hunting us. It must be eliminated now._

__

__

__

_\- Lauriam’s Observations_

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are at part 1 of our Heartless mission. Lauriam is not impressed with Ozpin, but maybe Ozpin didn't realize....? 
> 
> Communication is key here gentlemen. Talk. To. Each. Other! Or Ozpin totally meant to send RWBY and JNPR. Either way, Lauriam is not happy. Giant Heartless is out there too making this mission risky!!! Now, before someone comments about Roxas and/or Sora/whichever Keyblade wielder or person from Kingdom Hearts, remember that most people in Kingdom Hearts already have an idea of Heartless and their abilities, to the people of Remnant, Heartless are an entirely new threat, which are likely to be mistakenly confused for Grimm.
> 
> Next time we have - Mission Part 2! Shocking happenings happen!


	7. Hunting Heartless -Part 2-

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No more time to retreat, fighting is the only choice, only thing left to do is hope they are strong enough.

Lauriam was officially over this mission. He watched the students interact with each other and concluded that they knew each of their teammates and trusted them enough to have each other’s backs. However he noted that they were shocked whenever Ruby used Graceful Dahlia. The thought of using each other’s weapons was foreign to them. He made a mental note to seek permission to teach these students. 

The main reason this mission was such an annoyance to Lauriam however was because he was suddenly acutely aware of the fact that he had no choice but to bring students against the Heartless which he was becoming more certain was a Veil Lizard. Four days in and his carefully structured plan was collapsing. Lauriam discussed this with Oobleck and they both agreed that they needed to confirm the identity of the Heartless before deciding on the best course of action. At this point, retreat was still a potentially available option. If it was truly a Veil Lizard however, it was almost certain that the Heartless was hunting and there was no escape from fighting it.

Oobleck called the students together on the fifth day while Lauriam went off to hunt down the Heartless. Had the students been awake, they would have realised that the pink haired man had walked in the direction of Vale, not deeper into the forest.

__

_xX Day 5 – Danger Xx_

Ren didn’t know what to think when the Professor called them all together. He was certain that it couldn’t be good. Lauriam was missing. The young ninja themed fighter looked at Oobleck, trying to work out what the man was going to say. He wasn’t prepared for what the teacher did say however. None of them were. 

“Lauriam has gone to try and identify the Heartless we discovered traces of yesterday,” he started seriously, slowly, taking off his glasses so that he could look at each of the students without the light glaring off glass and hiding his eyes. “It falls to me to inform you that we may be forced to fight this Heartless. It is not a testament to your skill that will bring us to fighting the creature. If this were an assessment of how you have progressed in your time here at Beacon, you would have passed, but this was not that. It was an assessment of if you were ready to fight what was in this forest, which you are not.”

That harsh truth was spoken and left a cold feeling settling over the eight students. That was something Ren appreciated about Doctor Oobleck. He didn’t sugar-coat the truth and didn’t try to downplay the situation. One look to his friends and Ren could see that they were reacting with different levels of shock. It was Pyrrha who spoke first.

“You said may?” she asked, stepping forward. Oobleck nodded solemnly.

“Yes, if it is still possible, we will be retreating back to Beacon,” he replied. The eight students exchanged glances. If the danger wasn’t apparent before, it was now. They nodded together then looked back at their professor. Just then Lauriam stumbled through another portal of shadow, scythe in hand, shoulder jutted awkwardly. His expression was grim as he beheld the students in front of Oobleck.

“I can now confirm that this Heartless is a Veil Lizard, and it is hunting us,” he said. “And it is currently blocking our exit. It would down any bullhead sent to retrieve us.”

“Vale Lizard?” Jaune asked. The pinked haired man looked at him and noted the confusion, Lauriam realised that he, and probably the rest of the people from Remnant, probably thought it was in relation to the city, Vale.

“Veil, as in the cloth, not the city,” he clarified. Realisation dawned in a few eyes, Ren saw, not to just its name, but also the implication to its abilities.

“It can camouflage itself,” Pyrrha murmured. “Veils conceal what they cover…. So a veil lizard would conceal itself.”

Lauriam nodded at the red head with a slightly impressed expression. He sat down and dismissed his scythe, leaning against a tree and sighing. The man stretched out his arm with a grimace, and there was a sickening pop, leading Ren to realise that he had dislocated his shoulder somehow, and Lauriam was unlikely to tell anyone, bar Ruby perhaps, how.

“Pack your stuff,” he said, instead of answering the question that was looming around. “We can’t stay here for much longer, and it’s time for us to play bait. We’re going to lead this lizard further away from the city.”

The eight students moved quickly to follow instructions. Ren took a moment to stare at Lauriam and wonder what he had run into to come back with such an injury. The young ninja was starting to suspect that Lauriam did not have his Aura unlocked.

__

_xX Day 6 – Hearts Xx_

It was late, Blake noted with a frustrated hiss, and they were still fighting Heartless. She glanced at the one who was leading them and frowned. Lauriam was looking worse for wear, as he had taken a few significant hits. Why wasn’t he using his Aura to heal himself? He had his own scythe in his hand and was using it to slash at strange looking floating jar like creatures. They had a black and red heart shaped emblem which had a three pronged tail. Emblem Heartless is what Lauriam had identified them as.

Blake noted that Lauriam was staring at something with shock. She looked in the direction that the man was and paused when she saw a crystalized pink coloured heart floating up from somewhere. The faunus had no idea what it meant, but one look back at the shock written over Lauriam’s face was enough to tell her it shouldn’t be happening. Whether it was a good surprise or a bad one was still up in the air though… Blake groaned at the unintentional pun.

“Checkmate!” She heard Ruby call in a panic, and Blake looked up, responding to the call quickly, seeing the red pot Heartless and quickly meeting Weiss’ eyes before they leaped into the fight, slashing at the creature that had knocked Ruby down. Where was Crescent Rose? Thoughts for later as the Heartless fell to the joint attack of Blake and Weiss. No heart formed from it. 

“Are you alright, Ruby?” Came the smooth voice of Lauriam. Crescent Rose was still nowhere to be seen. Blake went looking for it; her leader would need her weapon. She found it folded up, lying in the grass. Odd… Blake remembered that Ruby had been fighting with it in scythe form. The faunus picked up the weapon and brought it back to the girl who was trying to convince Lauriam that she was fine.

When she saw Crescent Rose however, Ruby’s face fell. The young teen took the weapon and with one hand tried to open it. It remained stubbornly closed. There was a small hiss under Ruby’s breath, a hiss of frustration. She clipped her weapon onto her belt.

“I’ll need to fix it back at Beacon…” she sighed. Her fist clenched as the realisation that the weapon was broken set in. Blake frowned. They were down a fighter now because_

The faunus’ thought was cut off by Lauriam handing his scythe to Ruby once again.

“I’m not useless without my weapon,” he hummed quietly, before he glanced up and frowned. Blake followed his gaze again and blinked in surprise when she saw another crystalized heart floating up from the other side of the clearing. Blake tried to recall if Lauriam had ever explained what made Emblem Heartless different to Pureblood Heartless. She couldn’t find that explanation in her memory.

Blake’s questions were left unanswered as the two teams moved on, constantly keeping an eye out behind them to try and see if the lizard they were leading was following. The grim look on Lauriam’s face was all they needed to see to know that; yes, the Veil Lizard was still hunting them.

__

_xX Day 7 – Prey Xx_

The next day they were facing the mountain range. Nora stared up at it and had the creeping feeling of déjà vu. Something similar then? The orange haired girl glanced at Ren and saw he was thinking the same thing, though his face was still the same collected expression that it always was. Nora hummed then turned to Lauriam and Oobleck.

“Sooooo, our aim was to bring this lizard thing to this clearing near the mountains,” she started. “Then fight it, correct?”

“That is correct Miss Valkyrie!” Oobleck exclaimed.

“So where is the lizard?” Nora asked. “We didn’t step on it did we? Is it small? Or is it big? Maybe it’s in the tree_”

Her voice was rivalling Oobleck’s with its speed, and she seemed to be wavering between excitement and worry as she kept speaking.

“Nora,” Ren interrupted. “I think it’s large.”

Nora paused, and then spun on her heel to face in the direction that Ren was looking. Actually, everyone was looking in that direction. Behind the group, standing from where they had come from and now effectively blocking their way back, was a gargantuan black lizard with nasty looking spikes on its back in a poison yellow colour, a colour matched by the ring’s around its arms and legs, and an even sicklier yellow on its long claws. The yellow eyes on the lizard glowed in such a way, which paired with its open mouth showing a pink tongue; it looked like it was grinning.

The hunter had found its prey. Now it was time for the hopeful trap to spring. Thankfully, Jaune, ever the strategist, already had the start of a plan.

“Ruby, Nora, Yang, keep it distracted,” the blonde leader said. Nora smirked and raised her hammer, glad that Jaune was observant. Ruby seemed happy to defer her leadership for this fight to the blonde as well, for the most part. The trio who had been called ran forward to take the attention of the lizard. As she swung Magnhild at the enemy, she could hear Jaune giving more instructions, and she slotted what he said into the front of her mind so she could ensure she fought with her friends.

Ren, Weiss, Blake and Professor Oobleck were spreading out and firing at the lizard from a distance. Pyrrha and Jaune would circle around and strike the lizard from behind, and Lauriam would prevent the Heartless lizard from hurting anyone, as best he could.

Nora grinned wildly, this would be fun.

…

About fifteen minutes later that grin was wiped from her face and she was lying on the ground, having been thrown into a tree by the lizard’s spinning tail attack. Nora pushed herself up with the handle of Magnhild and rushed forward again, hammer swinging, her movements somehow bigger than before to keep the Heartless’ attention on her. Nearby she saw Jaune protecting Ruby from the claws of the Veil Lizard, before the young leader of team RWBY jumped up, Lauriam’s scythe in hand, and slashing at the creature’s head in tandem with Nora’s smashing strike.

“We really need to finish this fight now,” Pyrrha said from beside Yang. “We’re running low on Aura.”

In what could have been a mocking example of that statement, the Veil Lizard swung its tail again, throwing back Pyrrha and Yang, both girls landing on the ground, Aura shattering around them. Jaune grunted as the attack pushed him back into Ruby. The younger leader whispered something to Jaune and both nodded in agreement before leaping in opposite directions.

“Ren! Nora! Help Jaune!” she called. Nora nodded and gripped her hammer tighter. She blinked as fire flew past her, her head whipped around to spot Lauriam, standing as if he had literally thrown the fire. No time to question that however, as she refocused on what Jaune was doing. The blonde signalled to Nora, asking for her to toss him into the air. The orange haired girl grinned.

The blonde ran at Nora and jumped onto the head of Magnhild, which was then swung upwards, propelling Jaune into the air above the Veil Lizard. Then Nora and Ren ran at the Heartless to attack. Pyrrha and Yang were now standing as well, and they were nodding at whatever Ruby was saying. They ran forward with what Nora could only guess was their own strength now since their Auras had broken. The orange haired teen suddenly understood; this was an all-out attack.

Ruby was now moving and calling Weiss and Blake to her, and they were running to meet Oobleck. They were to be a second wave if the Heartless was still standing after the combined attack of Jaune, Nora, Ren, Pyrrha and Yang. The young leader needn’t have worried.

Nora’s hammer smashed the lizard’s legs, while Ren’s bladed guns stabbed into the lizard’s side. Yang took great pleasure throwing a punch at the Veil Lizard’s belly, while at the same time Pyrrha and Jaune’s blades sliced at the Heartless’ neck.

It dissolved into darkness, releasing a crystalized pink heart. The five students who had taken it down didn’t notice it. The RWB of team RWBY didn’t notice it. Oobleck was too busy checking over his students to notice. But Lauriam noticed.

Nora decided that she was tired and wanted some of Ren’s pancakes. The bad news came in the form of Oobleck saying that transport wouldn’t be able to get them until tomorrow. No pancakes.

__

_xX Day 8 – Father Xx_

It was late afternoon and they were still waiting for the bullhead to find them. Pyrrah had unfortunately fallen unconscious after the lizard had been defeated, the shattering of her Aura leaving her open to gaining a last nasty bite from the Heartless. Yang was also out, though she was sleeping by choice, her head resting on Nora’s shoulder, who was watching Ren closely. Said ninja was currently keeping watch on their temporary camp with Blake. Jaune and Weiss were listening to Doctor Oobleck who was giving them some lecture.

Ruby on the other hand was sitting near a tree, Graceful Dahlia in her hands, staring at the pink blade with a troubled expression on her face. Grass crunched under boot and dark magenta pants entered her vision. She looked up to see Lauriam looking at her with a worried gleam to his eyes despite the easy-going smile on his face. Was this the face of Marluxia? Lauriam sat next to her with a hum, leaning his head back against the tree.

“So, am I allowed to ask what’s on your mind?” he inquired softly, not looking at her since he let his blue eyes fall closed. Ruby glanced up at him again and noted the shape of his face. The angles in his face structure, they were similar to hers, even though her face was rounder.

“Just…” the young teen started before she sighed. “Just the same thing that has been on my mind for the past five weeks… I still don’t know…”

Her voice trailed off again.

“What to call your father?”

Ruby jumped as Lauriam finished her thought. She nodded and looked away. The young reaper said nothing, but flinched when the man placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. The hand retracted at her flinch.

“Ruby, let me ask you something,” Lauriam said quietly. “Who raised you?”

“My fath_ Taiyang Xiao Long.”

The reply was said in a monotone, making the pink haired man raise an eyebrow.

“And what feels right?” he asked. Ruby looked up again, confusion practically screaming from her entire posture, so Lauriam clarified. “You called him by his name, did that feel right? Does the name sit right on your tongue?”

The little reaper shrugged, her eyes becoming conflicted. Ruby curled into herself, setting Graceful Dahlia aside and drawing her legs up to her chin so she could bury her face. The scythe disappeared with a flick of Lauriam’s wrist. He looked hesitant for a moment before he laid his arm over Ruby’s shoulders and drawing her closer to his side. He wasn’t really hugging her, nor did she hug back, but the young reaper decided she appreciated the gesture.

“You should talk to your father,” he murmured quietly, and though Ruby didn’t react, she heard him. “Yang mentioned that you were heading home to Patch before the Vytal Festival. Talk to him, face to face. I know you were considering staying in Vale while your sister went back, but you should go home with your sister.”

When the young reaper remained silent, Lauriam continued, staring up at the leaves above in the forest canopy.

“Say that you stopped calling him father,” he hummed. “What then? I can’t give you fifteen years of your life that you’ll have thrown away. Taiyang, while he certainly lied, still raised you to the best of his ability. Don’t let that truth fade away with the lies. So I shall say again, go home with your sister.”

Ruby was silent for a few moments before she looked up at Lauriam with silver eyes that showed her reluctance, but also brimming with the budding trust that the girl had started to put in the man beside her.

“Will you come with us?” she asked. “That way… he can meet you properly.”

The sound of a bullhead approaching pulled a halt to the conversation; however that didn’t stop Lauriam from placing a reassuring hand on Ruby’s head. Then he stood up and offered his hand to help the young teen to her feet.

“I’ll think on it.”

◇◆◇◆◇

When the two teams got back to Beacon, Oobleck took most of the students to the infirmary to get them checked over, while Lauriam lead Ruby and Jaune to Professor Ozpin’s office to make a report. Needless to say, the two leaders got to witness the pink haired man tear into the Headmaster for his reckless decision to send two teams of FIRST YEAR students into Forever Fall when he had requested back up to help him exterminate Heartless. Jaune very specifically covered Ruby’s ears when the furious man started throwing insults that were well beyond the appropriateness for the school setting, much to the younger leader’s protest, if her glare at the blonde was anything to go by.

When Ozpin finally turned his attention to the two students, they both spoke in tandem to express their thoughts on the mission. They looked at each other and knew they agreed.

“We shouldn’t have been the ones to deal with that threat but in the end we were forced to.”

The look in Ozpin’s eye… was there a lesson that he had wanted them to learn at the same time. He looked both apologetic and proud of his two students. Strange man. Once they left, Ruby made her way back to her team’s room. None of her friends were back yet, so that gave her the chance to pick up the journal lying on her bed, exactly where she left it. The past eight days made her realise that she had an important source of information that had been left by her mum. She needed to keep it closer. So she decided to head to Vale, get a pouch or some other way that she could keep the book easily accessible on her belt. It wouldn’t leave her side again. As she began her walk to the bullheads, she pulled out her scroll and made a call.

“Hey… dad… can we talk? I have a question…”

◇◆◇◆◇

_The students, when put under pressure, work well together, and look to their leaders to choose their next move. I am unsure if they see it, but they seem to look to Jaune to make their strategy, he has the mind for it, even if his combat skill is lacking. Though they were clearly out matched against the Veil Lizard, they did well to take it down as they did. They recognized their disadvantage and planned accordingly._

_This brings me to my second observation. Someone in this group of eight students has a Keyblade, of this I am certain. While fighting against the Emblem Heartless, hearts were being released. This can only mean that one of the students’ weapons is a Keyblade in disguise. What was the term again? Formchanging? How do I know that? In any case, I can narrow my list of candidates down to five of the eight. Yang Xiao Long, Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos and Jaune Arc. All of Team JNPR and Yang from Team RWBY. From the rest of RWBY, Weiss and Blake defeated an Emblem Heartless in front of me but no heart was released, and Ruby was nowhere near the released hearts while I was observing the fighting. After her scythe broke, she was using mine. I will need to watch these students closely._

_\- Lauriam’s Observations #2_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that is the end of the Hunting Heartless and - SURPRISE! Someone has a Keyblade. It's also NOT Ruby! I also have left it intentionally unknown. Why is someone getting a Keyblade in this fanfic? I'm setting up for later in the story. How does this someone have a Keyblade when there's only three ways of getting one and Marluxia is the only one to have been on Remnant before and Lauriam doesn't remember having a Keyblade? All will be explained later.


	8. The Words on My Tongue Burn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alt title: Lauriam's Emotional Rollercoaster -Part 1-  
Alt Alt title: Don't Give Lauriam Alcohol EVER Again

Another month passed by and Ruby was with Yang heading back to Patch. She sat near the window of the Air Bus, staring outside, not paying attention to anything, her mother’s journal gripped tightly in her hands. It was late afternoon turning to evening as Yang sat beside her, but the brawler was currently engaged in a conversation with Lauriam, who after the month, and a small discussion with Yang, had decided to accompany the two girls back to their home. He wouldn’t intrude on the house of Taiyang however, he would find somewhere on Patch to stay.

The man glanced at Ruby with concern. Over the past month he had watched as Ruby spent more and more time with him, asking him questions, and slowly start to tell him her problems. He recalled what he had said to Yang over a month ago now.

_I am neither her confidant nor her friend right now. Currently I am a stranger who she is trying to get to know. Her real father, whom she knows nothing about, who has fallen into her life after she discovered that what she thought was real, wasn’t._

Ruby would most likely claim that they are friends now. He was certain that he was also becoming one of her confidants. These past weeks Ruby had been on and off her Scroll, talking with her dad. She had started to call the man ‘dad’ again, but she had admitted to Lauriam that she still wanted a proper explanation to why he had left the truth to rot, and had already thought up a list of questions that she wanted to ask Taiyang in person. She’s also confessed that she was worried that Yang was still angry at the man.

Lauriam sighed, realising that he was potentially going to end up stopping Yang from throwing punches if Ruby’s worried proved true. The blonde brawler realised that the man had long since stopped listening and was staring at Ruby again. He had been doing that quite a bit during the trip.

“She’s going to be fine, ya know,” Yang commented with a grin, startling the man out of his thoughts. “Don’t worry about her too much. She’ll forgive dad, I’ll probably forgive him too. Dad will probably say some things to ya, and then it’ll be business as usual in the Xiao Long-Rose household!”

With a small smirk forming on his face, Lauriam realised that perhaps the pair didn’t need his worry. Though from Yang’s matching smirk, he knew it was appreciated. He went to look over at something which had caught his eye, was that a black cloak? However Yang called his attention back.

“Hey, so I like ya now,” Yang hummed. “I didn’t trust you at first. Thought you’d try to steal Ruby away. But…. You’ve given her the choice as to how close you get to her, and I respect that. I also know that you gave Ruby some good advice when she’s needed it. So… if you’ll allow me a weird request, would you let me call ya Uncle Lauriam?”

The pink haired man blinked in surprise, not expecting the request in the slightest. In his mind, he tried to reason with his tongue, Marluxia was dangerous; he shouldn’t let these girls get closer than they already were to him, _what if Xemnas came back?_ However his tongue didn’t agree and his heart had already been warmed by the request, and he was agreeing, being met with Yang’s smirk turning into a smile as bright as the Sun.

Nothing would make him regret it.

By that time the Air Bus had landed, so the trio of Ruby, Yang and Lauriam made their way off of the transport. Taiyang was waiting for them. Lauriam only noticed him because he was the man that looked like Yang, with short, curled blonde hair. He had blue eyes though, as opposed to Yang’s violet, and he dressed casually.

“Hey dad!” Yang greeted cheerfully. Taiyang walked forward to meet the trio, returning the greeting that his daughter had given. He looked first at Yang, then at Ruby who waved slightly at him, though mostly because she was looking like the ride to Patch had started to put her to sleep, then finally at Lauriam. Taiyang’s eyes flicked back to Ruby before he held out his hand to the pink haired man.

“You’re Lauriam I see,” he greeted, his expression becoming slightly unreadable. “Ruby told me you planned to find somewhere on Patch to stay while here. I can recommend a place, but would you like to come to our home first? That will give us a chance to talk.”

There was a moment of pause as both men seemed to size each other up. Then Lauriam stretched out his arm and grasped Taiyang’s offered hand in a handshake.

“Thank-you for the offer,” he hummed. “I would appreciate the help, and if you wish to talk, I won’t say no.”

The conversation ended and with Ruby telling Taiyang about the mission they were on the month prior, the group made their way to the Xiao-Long-Rose house. Yang had taken to talking Lauriam’s ear off about Patch itself. What the pink haired man noticed was a very conscious effort on everyone’s behalf to avoid the impending discussion, though given that they weren’t within the safety of what the family considered ‘home’, Lauriam decided he understood why.

It didn’t take that long to reach the house, and Taiyang sent Ruby and Yang to get dressed out of their clothes and into their pyjamas then get ready for dinner. Lauriam suddenly found himself alone with Taiyang, who gestured to the kitchen.

“If you don’t mind watching me cook, we can talk in the kitchen if you prefer?”

“I don’t mind at all,” Lauriam replied with a small smile. He followed the man into the kitchen, not entirely sure what to expect. What followed was a conversation that made the pink haired man distinctly uncomfortable. Taiyang asked him about his past, about why he didn’t stay for Ruby or Summer. Questions about his life before Marluxia could only be answered with ‘I don’t know’ and questions about his time as Marluxia had no proper answers, and Lauriam knew that the frustration at the lack of answers he could provide was written clearly across his face.

Taiyang seemed to inspect the former Nobody and his eyes softened. He took pity and told Lauriam to set the table, all but ordering the man to stay for dinner. Ruby and Yang flew downstairs at this point, both grinning and laughing. Both teens split off to help the adults, Yang going to help Taiyang, while Ruby assisted Lauriam. Silver eyes met ocean blue as the young girl looked up at the man who had fallen into her life just months prior, questions dancing in her gaze. Whatever she was going to ask however was whisked away by dinner being brought out.

Lauriam noted with a quiet interested hum, that Ruby had chosen to sit subtly closer to him, rather than Taiyang, though she still spoke rather animatedly. There was a hidden touch of hesitation in her eyes though. Then she pinned her curious gaze on the pink haired observer and dragged him into the conversation with a question that dripped with innocent curiosity, unaware of the turmoil the question would raise.

“Lauriam, you mentioned a sister in the Headmaster’s office the day we met,” Ruby hummed, tilting her head to the side. “I’ve been meaning to ask you about her… even if you may not be entirely sure about the details. Do you perhaps remember what she was like?”

The question was asked out of curiosity and nothing more, but the broken anguish that briefly flickered over Lauriam’s face had the table pausing to look at the man.

“I… barely remember,” he started quietly, placing down his fork as his eyes closed, trying to summon forth a clear memory of this sister he was more and more certain he had. “I think she was shy, she kept to herself a lot. I believe… she only really spoke to her friends… I… used to bring her flowers for her room… I still can’t remember her name.”

He pressed his hand to his head as he forced his memory further, desperately trying to grasp the memory that was just out of reach. A hand was placed on his arm, causing Lauriam’s eyes to snap open. Ruby’s worried silver eyes stared at him from across the table where she was seated, and the man realised that the concern was echoed on the faces of both Yang and Taiyang.

“Forgive me, I really know nothing more,” Lauriam sighed, looking away.

“Don’t force it,” Taiyang advised as he stood up and started to collect the plates, shooing Yang and Ruby with a hand when they started to rise to help him. “Forcing memories can make it worse and give you a headache. Just give it time; you’ll remember if it’s someone as important as your sister. Stay here, I’ll bring you something.”

Yang and Ruby exchanged a glance which was both exasperated and slightly concerned, before they stood up together.

“Dad, me and Rubes are gonna head up to her room and hang up some pictures we got at Beacon,” the blonde brawler commented. “We’ll leave the two of you to talk. Just remember to say goodbye before you head off to wherever you’re going to be staying.”

The last part was aimed at Lauriam who smiled slightly and gave the two girls an affirmative wave before they both headed upstairs. Taiyang returned with two glasses full of a bronze liquid, then a bottle of the same drink. Lauriam vaguely recognised the bottle as bottle of beer, but he didn’t recognise the brand, not that he knew any. He raised an eyebrow at the blonde man.

“I’ve never had a drink of alcohol before,” he said in a bland voice, causing Taiyang’s eyes to widen dramatically. Lauriam found one of the glasses in the man’s hand all but slammed down in front of him.

“This is blasphemy!” The blonde exclaimed, pushing the drink closer to Lauriam. “At least once Lauriam, you have to try at least once.”

The former Nobody sent Taiyang an incredulous look, but picked up the drink anyway. He didn’t see the two sets of eyes watching him from the doorway. 

A few glasses later, Lauriam’s awareness was out the window, and he wasn’t able to think straight. He and Taiyang had been talking about small things, about what Lauriam had been doing at Beacon, anything about Ruby and Yang’s escapades. Lauriam, through his foggy mind, slurred speech and looser tongue, hadn’t noticed that Tai was still sipping his first glass and that the bottle of beer was nearly empty. That really should have tipped Lauriam off to something being up.

That was when Taiyang asked THAT question. 

“Did you love Summer?”

A regretful but also somewhat stupid grin crossed the now drunk man’s face. He stared down at the glass in his hands trying to focus on it. Did he have one glass or three? He couldn’t tell. That wasn’t important though, now his mind was full of Summer, his memories of her from Marluxia. He sighed and glanced at Taiyang from the corner of his eye.

“’was phys’cal’ inc’able of love whe’ I mets her,” Lauriam admitted, his words feeling thick on his tongue. “But I alw’ys tolds ‘er tha’ if I hads ah heash it would have belon’ed ta her an’ ‘er alonhe. She made me fefel like ki had da hearsh! Nob’dies don’ ‘ave hearshs, shee? No hearsh, no emot’ns, brok’n. S’mmer weres conv’ned zat I ‘ad one dou. Xsssheeeeemnash would’da kilsh me fo’ dat.”

“Xemnas?” Taiyang enquired, remembering the name vaguely from when Summer had once spoken about Marluxia, so many years ago now. The name pulled a snarl of fury from the drunken man. Actually, Lauriam seemed to grip the glass in his hand tighter, the anger coiled around him like a rope.

“Xshemnash ish a baaaad guy!” The pink haired man snarled. “Ifs he knews ab't 'uby, he would of tak'n her an' ooshed her againshed me, like blekmal! Sho I sht’yed’way, no’ come back; keep ‘uby shafe.”

The glass in Lauriam’s hand broke as he clenched his fist, glass cutting into his skin, making him bleed, but he didn’t seem to notice as he let out a drunken sob.

“F’teen,” he spat, anger and despair lacing his words. “Ruby ish f’fteen now. I mished fift’n yearsh o’ my d’ughter’sh life. All f’teen! Cause of Xshemnash! I hatesh him!”

Taiyang gently coaxed Lauriam’s injured hand open and cleaned it of glass shards as the pink haired man lost himself to this foreign feeling of lost hopelessness, fury and despair, wretched sobs breaking from his unwilling lips. The blonde man beside him merely took care of the cuts on his hand though, cleaning then bandaging the hand.

“You’re staying here tonight,” Taiyang murmured once Lauriam had calmed down a bit, before he pulled the drunken man’s arm over his shoulder and guided him over to the couch and laid him down. Lauriam let awareness fade into black.

◇◆◇◆◇

Ruby pulled Yang away from the door they were eavesdropping from at the moment Lauriam started sobbing. The two girls made their way up to Ruby’s room where they pulled Summer’s pictures of Marluxia from Ruby’s bag and started to pin them up on the walls, around the picture that had been dubbed ‘the Guardian of Ruby’s Room’. The pair were silent for a few minutes, listening to Lauriam breakdown in the kitchen.

“There was another reason you wanted Lauriam to meet dad… wasn’t there?” Yang asked quietly once they were seated on Ruby’s bed, looking around at their work. Zwei walked into the room and jumped up onto the young reaper’s lap. Ruby’s hand came up and scratched the corgi between the ears. She picked up Summer’s journal and opened it to her mother’s personal entries, where the woman had written about Marluxia’s lost memories, resting the book on Zwei’s back.

“When I first asked him to come I thought it was because I wanted help facing dad,” she admitted, her hand touching the page gently. “But… I realise now that what I was really doing was asking dad if he trusts Lauriam. He’s got a good judge of character, I like Lauriam, I want to help him, but...”

“You wanted to make sure that he wasn’t trying to con you?” Yang finished, Ruby blushed and looked away with a half-hearted huff. The blond brawler laughed and ruffled Ruby’s hair, grinning as Zwei barked happily. They sat there for a moment more, Yang reading over Ruby’s shoulder as they enjoyed the silence that came from the fact that there was no sound from downstairs anymore.

“Do _you_ trust him?” Came the quiet question from the older sister, as she turned the page for her sister, stopping on an entry written by Marluxia and not Summer.

“Yes,” was the younger’s response.

Taiyang walked up and smiled at the two girls in the room, looking around with a hum, his eyes falling to the journal which Ruby quickly shut. Then he sat on the other side of Ruby and pulled his arm around the girls’ shoulders.

“I gave Lauriam the couch,” he told them both after a moment. “Letting him stay here, it is kinda my fault that he’s in the state he is currently, I shouldn’t have tricked him like that.”

“You were drinking sarsaparilla?” Yang asked, looking over at her dad with a smirk. The man laughed and gave a thumbs up as his answer, making Yang and Ruby laugh as well. They fell silent again for another moment.

“Hey dad_” Ruby started before Taiyang pressed a finger to her lips. Both girls looked up confused. The man got off the bed and looked at Ruby.

“Why don’t we save that title for Lauriam, when you feel comfortable with it,” he suggested, and continued before Ruby could say anything. “And then I now have an excuse to finally teach you girls some Mistrali*.”

Ruby and Yang looked at each other, and then at Taiyang, curiosity in their eyes. They didn’t know what to be more surprised at. The fact that their dad knew Mistrali, or the fact that he was going to teach them.

◇◆◇◆◇

That night Lauriam’s dreams were plagued by nightmares and forgotten memories.

_He was in a bright town, he could see <strike>Elrena</strike>Larxene in front of him, looking younger, she had a fringe, and she looked worried. She was holding something<strike>Chirithy</strike> that had no form. She was saying words, but he couldn’t hear them, then he was running into a dark building, calling a name._

_ <strike>“Strelitizia!”</strike> _

_The name had no form, it was muted in his ears, and he could not hear it, no matter how hard he tried. The name was ripped out of his throat again, desperation flooding him. What was this name he was calling? Whose name was it, why did he need to find the owner of this name? What was the name? <strike>Strelitzia, where are you?</strike>_

__

_“I’m sorry Lauriam…”_

__

_The voice was Larxene’s but when he turned around he saw Summer Rose, black and red dress like Ruby’s, almost straight red black hair, similar to Ruby’s. Then her voice was Summer’s._

__

_“You tried so hard and failed…” Summer murmured, walking up to Lauriam and wrapping her arms around his neck. “Ruby isn’t yours anymore. You weren’t there. You can’t escape Xemnas. You cannot escape your past sins. You failed Ruby, you failed your friends, your sister, and you failed me.”_

__

_Summer Rose pressed her lips to Lauriam’s, her eyes turning gold and her hair white. The man gasped and tried to step away, but the woman had already caught him in her tight grip. She spun him around and brought her lips up to his ear. Before them was Xemnas, his Etheral Blades poised to strike down Ruby who was staring at Lauriam with fear._

__

_“See all your failures… Marluxia.”_

__

_And then Summer disappeared, as Xemnas struck out with his weapons. Lauriam cried out and threw his hand towards Ruby, but both she and the Superior dissolved into dust. In Ruby’s place was Naminé, watching him with terror._

__

_“Marluxia!” she whimpered._

__

_“Lauriam.”_

__

_This voice was painfully familiar, and it came from behind him. Naminé faded as Lauriam spun on his heel to come face to face with a girl in an Organisation coat, red belt around her waist, holding a bleeding heart flower**._

__

_“Lauriam,” she said again, bringing her hands up to her hood as if to bring it down. Blackness overtook the pink haired man._

__

In the waking world, tears fell down Lauriam’s face, a face washed with heartbreak.

__

“Strelitzia…” The name slipped from his mouth, with no one to witness it. He wouldn’t remember when he awoke.

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Mistrali - What I have decided to call Mistrals language - it will be a mix of languages from around Asia and Greek.  
**Girl with bleeding heart flower - KHUx new union leaders image, has an unknown figure in organisation cloak and holding a flower. This is speculated to be Strelitzia and I agree with the speculation.
> 
> So I was almost unable to get this chapter out today, as about a week ago the internet was killed in a storm and the internet provider hasn't yet gotten the new modem out. Soooo yeah. BUT! I am here, with chapter 8, and yeah! Poor Lauriam seems to suffer a lot with me writing. And yay! The reason Ruby brought Lauriam to Taiyang was because she trusts Tai's judgement. Also, Taiyang is totally way too pumped to finally have an excuse to teach his children a different language which he barely knows hahahaha It's like he was looking for an excuse to not look weird.
> 
> For Taiyang I'm doing a toned down personality from Chibi. I like his Chibi version, but Chibi bashes on him too much.
> 
> For those of you who can't understand understand drunken speech! Here is a translation (don't worry, if I hadn't typed it, I probably wouldn't understand much of it either):
> 
> I was physically incapable of love when I met her. But I always told her that if I had a heart it would have belonged to her and her alone. She made me feel like I had a heart! Nobodies don't have hearts, see? No heart means no emotions, we're broken. Summer was convinced that I had one though. Xemnas would have killed me for that.
> 
> Xemnas is a bad guy! If he knew about Ruby, he would of taken her and used her against me, like blackmail! So I stayed away, didn't come back.,to keep Ruby safe.
> 
> Fifteen. Ruby is fifteen now. I missed fifteen years of my daughter’s life. All fifteen! Cause of Xemnas! I hate him!
> 
> \- - - - -
> 
> "̴̟͋W̴̲͝h̷̹̆ậ̴t̸͜'̶̟̌ś̸̗ ̵͔̅t̴̛͕h̸̠͝i̸͎̍s̶͊͜?̴̠͐ ̷̟̈́Ḁ̷͗ ̶̺͆c̴̼̈́ḧ̶̦́a̴̙̿n̵̗̓g̸̫͊ë̷̦́ ̵͚͒ị̵̾n̵͎͠ ̴͉͛m̶͙̆y̵͚̚ ̸̤̓c̷̡̆a̵̞͋r̶̬̉e̷̥͆f̸͎̔u̵͎͘l̴̙͆l̵͉̊ÿ̸̺́ ̶͍͛l̴̝̃ȧ̴͕i̶̱͠ḓ̶̋ ̷̩͗o̷͕͛ṵ̵̓t̸̂ͅ ̴̧̽p̸͖͝l̴̲̊a̵͚͗ǹ̴̡.̶͎͆.̴̱̅.̶̰͐?̶͚̈ ̷͙͑N̴̢͒o̶̙͗,̷̩̃ ̸̥͝t̵͈͒h̵̞̐i̶͕͘s̸̥̈́ ̷̹̓w̸̧ȏ̷̼n̶͚̄'̸̜͠t̶͈̐ ̴͈̿d̵͗ͅo̵̤͠ ̸̯͛a̸̠t̴̩͌ ̷̦̾a̸̫͐l̴̙̍l̶̺̈.̵̱͘.̷̻̎.̶̘̾"̶͕̂ 


	9. Thus Kindly I Scatter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine  
You make me happy when skies are gray  
You'll never know dear, how much I love you  
Please don't take my sunshine away"  
\- Song by Johnny Cash
> 
> Alt title: Lauriam's Emotional Rollercoaster -Part 2-

When Ruby walked downstairs the next morning she was greeted by the sight of Lauriam passed out on the couch, covered in a blanket, looking as if he had been, and perhaps was still being, plagued by nightmares. The teen felt her heart twist with sympathy. She walked into the kitchen to find Taiyang cooking breakfast.

“Dad_” she started before an amused but prompting hum from the man made her pause with a sigh and an amused eye roll. “Bà*, is… Is Lauriam alright?”

It seemed the blonde man had been anticipating the question as he looked over his shoulder at the young reaper, the expression on his face sad, before he turned back to his cooking. He was silent a few moments, finishing the bacon in the pan in putting it on a plate before starting to cook more bacon. Once he was cooking the next lot of bacon he answered.

“No Ruby, he isn’t,” Taiyang replied quietly. “He’s broken and doesn’t know how to fix himself. Lauriam wants to deny being Marluxia, but all he remembers is being Marluxia, and he followed his memories as Marluxia to you. You, Ruby, are all that he has left to cling to. I’ll be offering him a bed here once he wakes up; I would feel bad just leaving him at one of the stay houses after last night.”

Ruby beamed up at him, grateful for the indirect and implied confirmation of his trust in the pink haired man currently on the couch. She sat down at the table and watched Taiyang as he continued to cook breakfast. Silence wreathed around the room for a few moments more before the cook spoke again.

“I should apologise to you Ruby,” he said. “The lies around you are partially my fault.”

When Ruby opened her mouth to interrupt, the man held up a hand. The stove was turned off and Taiyang turned to face the young reaper with a tired smile.

“Through her pregnancy, you mum never knew how far to take this deception,” he explained. “She wanted so badly to believe that Marluxia would come back. So I told her that she should keep believing that, believe you didn’t need a father when you’d have two uncles like Qrow and me, believe that Marluxia would come back. I wasn’t meant to be your father. However when Summer died… I couldn’t let you get taken by the Vale Council.”

Ruby tilted her head in confusion, not understanding why the council was an issue. Taiyang walked over and rested a hand on her black-red hair. His easy smile twisted into something closer to contempt.

“Since I am not a blood relative, you would have been taken from me, I wasn’t your official guardian at that point either,” he sighed, sitting beside his daughter, adopted she may have been. “So Ozpin helped me with the legal stuff, hid your real birth certificate under more documents than I could care count and gave me a document that basically proclaimed me as your father. I don’t know how he did it, but I never questioned it. It gave me what I needed to be able to protect you. Personally, I like to believe that Ozpin hacked into the city archives from his desk at Beacon.”

Together Ruby and Taiyang laughed at the thought of the Headmaster sitting behind his desk with all the cogwheels ticking above and below him. For some reason, Ruby pictured Ozpin wearing a high collared black jacket with a fedora and black glasses while he did it. It was an amusing thought to say the least. 

“Ooooh bacon and eggs!” Yang’s voice chirped from behind them, making the two in the room look up. The brawler walked casually into the room and took over the cooking, winking at Taiyang and then nodding to the living room. “You may want to wake Uncle Lauriam; else he’ll get tangled in the covers.”

If Taiyang was surprised by Yang calling the pink haired man ‘uncle’ he didn’t show it as he stood up and pressed his lips to Ruby’s temple before walking out of the kitchen to assist his guest. Ruby grinned as Yang placed some food in front of her. The two sisters began talking together quietly, laughing as Ruby recounted the image of the hacker Ozpin. Yang had put out breakfast for both Taiyang and Lauriam by the time she herself sat across from her sister.

They looked up when the blonde man who had raised them returned, supporting a hungover Lauriam in walking over to a table. Yang wordlessly placed a plate of food in front the pink haired man, not entirely expecting the food to be eaten. Lauriam honestly looked sick, if the way that his hands came up to weakly support his head was any indicator.

“You look like you didn’t sleep well,” Ruby hummed softly, as she picked up her empty plate and placed it in the sink to be washed up later. “Are you alright?”

“… unfortunately nightmares robbed me of proper sleep,” Lauriam admitted, lifting his tired eyes to look at the black-red haired girl. “Not that I can remember the dreams. I feel like… I remembered something in my sleep… but the memory was stripped from me the moment I woke up.”

Taiyang rested a hand on the man’s shoulder and smiled, almost understandingly. The pink haired man groaned as the light started to make his eyes hurt. He laid his head on the table, beside the plate of food, and covered his face with an arm. Ruby’s gaze softened, and she decided to ask Taiyang a question.

“So what’s happening today, Bà?”

“Well, I was going to ask you and Yang to head down to the markets,” Taiyang replied. “As always, the first day off from school it’s you and your sister’s turn to make dinner tonight.”

“Sweet!” Yang exclaimed, bounding out of the room and collecting what would be needed to go shopping, coming back with two bags and a basket. “Uncle Lauriam, would you prefer fish or steak?”

The man lifted his hand and waved in a manner that conveyed the fact that he didn’t particularly care which. Yang grinned and dragged Ruby out of the house proclaiming something incomprehensible about homemade fish and chips, the black-red haired reaper laughing as she followed behind. The two sisters made their way to the markets on Patch, where fresh produce was sold, fish, farmed meats and vegetables, in season fruit, and grown herbs. 

“Oh, I was texting Blake last night,” Yang mentioned suddenly while they were looking at fish to purchase, as if the act of looking at the fish had reminded the brawler, which… it probably did. “She said she found something in a book which she wanted to show us once we got back to Beacon. She won’t send a picture, apparently it’s a book with stiff pages so she can’t hold it open and take the picture.”

“What is it?” Ruby asked curiously, pointing at one fish which looked good enough. Yang purchased the fish and placed it in one of the bags. They moved on.

“Some flower I think?” Yang replied. “She called it the bird of paradise.”

“A flower?” Ruby laughed quietly, the name nagging at her thought… hadn’t she read that name somewhere before? “Does it look like a rose? I know mum was fond of flowers! We’ll see what flower this is when we get back to Beacon.”

Yang readily agreed, and the two continued their little shopping trip. They ended up grabbing the ingredients for a fish pie that they would prepare later, instead of the fish and chips that the blond brawler had suggested when they had left.

◇◆◇◆◇

Meanwhile, back at the Xiao Long-Rose household, while the girls were shopping, Taiyang was coaxing Lauriam into sitting. He eventually succeeded, though the pink haired man was mutinously glaring at the blonde. 

“I have to apologise,” Taiyang said, gaining a more interested expression from Lauriam. “Your hangover is totally my fault; I tricked you into drinking an entire bottle while I was drinking sarsaparilla.”

Lauriam was silent, staring at Taiyang with burning blue eyes, which seemed to speak to harsh words which wanted to escape the pink haired reaper’s mouth. However, eventually Lauriam looked down, sighing as he did so.

“Feel lucky my head hurts too much to insult you,” the man grumbled, earning a laugh from Taiyang. The blonde stood up and started going through the draws of the kitchen. All was silent for a few minutes, the only sound coming from things rattling around of searching. Lauriam was curious to know what the man could be looking for with such intent, but he didn’t ask. Instead, several minutes of silence later, he asked a different question. It was more of a statement but the question behind it was clear.

“Tell me something I don’t know about Summer…”

Taiyang hummed as he continued searching, before he made a sound of achievement and pulled out a decorated plate from the cupboard and set it down in front of Lauriam. There was another drawing imprinted on the flat surface, a scene that had never happened, a picture of Marluxia holding baby Ruby.

“Summer was a dreamer,” hummed Taiyang. “Perhaps you knew that, but she would always try and insert you in places, saying that you would come back once it was safe. She was also a firm believer in everyone; she’d always try and see the good in everyone. She had this habit at home where she would change the pictures on the walls every weekend, the one time she didn’t she freaked out.”

Lauriam, who had been staring at the plate, looked up at this with wide eyes before he started to chuckle lightly. The blonde grinned at the sound. 

“She also didn’t like rats,” he continued with a smirk, causing the pink haired man to snort. “She’d slay Grimm left right and centre, but if she saw a mouse she’d screech and try and get away from it. And…”

Here, his tone became sombre, as he looked out the window. It was a few moments before he spoke again.

“There’s no body buried in her grave. No one found anything. She was just…. Gone.”

Lauriam’s mouth went dry, but he didn’t say anything, because it looked like Taiyang had more to say. They sat together in silence, neither speaking, before Taiyang gestured to the cliff that overlooked the house, just seen through the trees.

“That’s where her grave is, if you wanted to visit,” the blonde said quietly. Faintly Lauriam could see a path up. “Ruby and Yang won’t be back for a while. I can show you the way there, if you would prefer.”

The nod of agreement from the pink haired man was small, but they both stood and began to slowly walk the path up the cliff. They continued to talk about Summer as they walked. Lauriam spoke about the Summer he knew when on his mission as Marluxia, and Taiyang spoke about the Summer he knew at Beacon. Eventually they reached the top of the cliff and Lauriam was able to see the white stone gravestone.

_Thus Kindly I Scatter_

That was what had carved into the stone, etched as an epitaph to Summer Rose. Taiyang pushed the pinkette into movement, leaving him to approach the grave alone. With hesitant steps, Lauriam approached the stone. He stared at it without a word for a long moment, taking in the details of the stone, the rose, the words and finally… her name.

“I’m sorry Summer…” Lauriam murmured, falling to his knees. “I said that my heart would be yours once I got it back, but now I can’t even give it to you properly. I tried so hard to keep Xemnas away and I still failed to come back to you. I am here now Summer. I finally got to meet Ruby, I got to see the wonderful person she has grown to be. But I missed fifteen years of her life… Sum… What do I do now?”

A gentle breeze brushed past him, as if providing an answer. Lauriam laughed quietly.

“She has to let me in before I can truly become close to her, Summer. That place isn’t mine anymore, no matter how much you wished it to be so. I… miss you Summer, I think I missed you all along, every day in the Organisation I waited for the day I could escape… if I’m honest, I think it was partially because of you that I betrayed the Organisation…”

Taiyang left Lauriam to say what he needed to, and walked back down to the house, confident that the pink haired man would be able to find his way back.

◇◆◇◆◇

An hour later and Lauriam had come back, and his calm demeanour had returned, his face back to its mask of confidence. Yang and Ruby had also returned and were introducing the man to the concept of video games, a challenge which Lauriam took in stride. Taiyang joined the trio after a while and it eventually became a two on two fight with the adults verses the teens. Lauriam was terrible at the game they were playing, but everyone was laughing.

Eventually the games had to end and Yang and Ruby went into the kitchen to start preparing their chosen dinner of fish pie, Ruby preparing the fish, while Yang worked on the pie crust. The finished pie was put in the oven to bake. The two sisters were chatting in the kitchen while Ruby sat in front of the oven, watching the pie cook. Yang seemed to be typing something on her scroll.

“Well, I smell fish, but no chips,” Taiyang commented as he entered the room, grinning. He received twin looks of poked out tongues and met the indignation with laughter. “Fish pie? Interesting choice, but I’ll take it.”

“Next time you look at the potatoes and tell me that the good ones weren’t raided first,” Yang snorted at her dad.

“Really?” asked the older blonde with disbelief. “That early? It wasn’t even mid-morning when you two went.”

“Someone obviously REALLY likes potatoes, Bà,” Ruby grinned. This set the three off into joined laughter, which is how Lauriam discovered them. They all quickly found themselves around a freshly cooked pie. The conversation turned to Beacon, missions that the two girls had been on, a recap of the Heartless mission, and Taiyang even clapped Lauriam on the back with a grin when Ruby recounted how he had yelled at Ozpin for several minutes when returning from fighting the Heartless.

“Lauriam was great, da_ Bà,” Ruby was saying excitedly. “Though I couldn’t hear half of what he said because Jaune decided to cover my ears, but I swear Professor Ozpin was trying to shrink into his chair. Of course he tried to look unaffected, but then he asked me and Jaune what we thought.”

“And what did you think, Ruby?” Taiyang asked with a smirk. The young reaper placed down her fork and looked up.

“In more polite terms we said it was stupid to send us out on that mission that we weren’t trained for. Had I not been a student I may have added my own choice words, if only to prove to Jaune that he didn’t need to cover my ears.”

Silence fell over the table. Three sets of eyes landed on Ruby, as the words she had spoken echoed in the sudden silence. It was the deadly serious tone that the young reaper had used that broke the silence into laughter. The rest of dinner was filled with light hearted conversation.

◇◆◇◆◇

_Dear Diary,_

_I can’t believe what has happened in the past few days… but last night in particular. Bá is correct, Lauriam is broken, he is drowning in a deep brokenness that he can’t understand, he doesn’t know how to fix himself, and all the while he still stands tall. This is the culmination of the man my mother met, this I am sure… He is strong even when everything is against him. I used to wonder what connected Lauriam and Marluxia, but now I see it. Maybe… maybe he doesn’t see it himself yet, because inside he is hurting._

_I want to help heal that pain… and then, I wonder if Lauriam will let me call him dad? How do I help this man who has only been in my life for a few months? His heart is crying out for fifteen years that he cannot have back, and I can’t give them to him. If I ever meet this Xemnas, I will take Crescent Rose and show him just whose daughter I am._

_I guess this is the end of my page, and it is getting late. I will try and remember to write again._

_With love,  
Ruby_

◇◆◇◆◇

Later that night, in a bedroom, a scroll lit up the darkness and buzzed quietly with a received message. A hand stretched out and picked up the scroll.

_PANCAKES (11.09 pm): HEEEEY!!! So how’s the POI been?_

_Sun_Dragon (11.10 pm): POI came clean. Well, I dunno how clean making drunken confessions is. Dad has him staying here now. He doesn’t know that RoseReaper and I were listening._

_Silent_Darkness21 (11.15 pm): Do we need to worry about him? You three weren’t certain when we spoke in Vale._

_Polaris (11.15 pm): Guys, it’s almost midnight, we should be sleeping. We can ask Sun_Dragon in the morning._

_Sun_Dragon (11.17 pm): Nah, it’s fine. POI is cool. Gave him the Uncle title. Dad wants RoseReaper to call him Bà._

_Polaris (11.18 pm): Isn’t that Mistrali for “dad”?_

_Sun_Dragon (11.20 pm): Yup! Dad apparently knows Mistrali, not that well but he seems rather obessed with the idea of me and Ruby learning his limited knowledge._

_PANCAKES (11.21 pm): OMG that is AWESOME! Lotus and I know Mistrali if you wanted to learn! Polaris probably knows too!_

_Polaris (11.21 pm): I do._

_Silent_Darkness21 (11.23 pm): That seems to have a few advantages actually, if we could go about missions in Vale talking in Mistrali._

_Sun_Dragon (11.27 pm): Right, well, we should raise that with the rest of our teams, so why don’t we save that thought for when we’re all back? I gotta sleep._

_PANCAKES (11.28 pm): Sleep well!_

Now silent, the scroll was placed back on the night stand. Yang smiled in the dark before going back to sleep. Tomorrow was another day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Bà - Chinese for Father/Dad (in this instance - Mistrali)
> 
> The main question that should be noted this question would beeeee: WHY would the Vale council have taken Ruby away from Tai? Qrow will answer that! Later
> 
> Sorry for not uploading last week, I got sick and wasn't able to focus, and uni is about to go back so I've fallen behind in typing my chapters ahead of time. Also... struggling with typing the tournament a bit... But I've worked out my first problem, and I'm working on chapters again. Thanks for reading this chapter! I look forward to reading your thoughts!
> 
> \- - - - -
> 
> There is unknown data trying to undo the story...  
_loading story backup_


	10. Red Like Roses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taking the time to teach the students something useful. This comes with implications.

Their stay on Patch wasn’t that long, just a few days, and then it was time for the Vytal Festival Tournament. Lauriam, who had once again been called in by Ozpin once they got back to Vale, had trekked up the cliff where Summer’s grave was to find Ruby, who had gone up at first light. Taiyang and Zwei were with him, as Yang had already left, intending on catching Blake at Beacon early. When they got up the cliff where Ruby was, the teen was talking to the grave of her mother, her cloak flowing in the wind, reminding Lauriam of Summer and her own white cloak. In the back of his memory, he faintly recalled someone else, also similar to Ruby, but, as he had begun to do, he pushed the memory aside.

Ruby seemed to finish her conversation with her mum, and she was now running towards the two adults waiting for her. She grinned at Lauriam before picking up Zwei, she started talking quickly about the Tournament and how well she thought team RWBY would do. Lauriam laughed and felt bad for interrupting her, but he had to.

“Ruby,” he started, making the girl pause and look at him. “The Headmaster has given me permission to give a few lessons to your team and Team JNPR, and Professor Goodwitch has given me a time that I may use the combat classroom.”

The way Ruby’s eyes lit up in excitement was truly a sight to see as she jumped up and punched her fist in the air with a cheer. Taiyang laughed at Lauriam’s bemused expression.

“Eeeek! I can’t wait!” she squealed. “Thank-you Lauriam! Oooh! I better go message the team! And JNPR too! I’ll meet you down at the house, Bà!

She was gone in a flurry of rose petals, leaving Lauriam with an amused smirk on his face and Taiyang laughing harder. Already it seemed like the Vytal Festival was going to start on a high. It was like everything was finally going right.

“Want to beat Ruby for once?” the older reaper asked Taiyang, opening a dark corridor. “Just run through, it will bring you to the living room.”

The blonde snorted and they both disappeared into the portal.

◇◆◇◆◇

“Ruby!!”

Yang’s voice echoed out as soon as the young reaper stepped off the bullhead. Ruby looked around and saw her sister standing with Blake, the cat faunus smiling at her leader. Grinning, the young teen ran up and greeted her team, well half her team, with an enthusiastic wave.

“Hey guys,” she hummed. “Where’s Weiss?”

“She went to the library quickly,” Blake replied with a laugh. “She wanted to do a quick revision just in case Lauriam tests us. Though I suspect that we won’t be tested on anything we can find in a book.”

The two sisters laugh. RBY starts to walk towards the dorms. Ruby started to recount her morning and how Taiyang and Lauriam had CHEATED and used the corridor of darkness, and had been waiting for her when she had dashed in with Zwei on her heels, and then Lauriam had cheated again by using the same portal to leave for Beacon. This had her friend and sister snorting with amusement, giving agreements which sounded more like the kind of false agreement that an adult gave to a child with a while and impossible idea.

“So what was this thing you wanted to show us?” Yang asked, effectively interrupting Ruby who looked up at Blake with curiosity. “You said it was some kind of flower?”

“Yes, I was looking through a book trying to find the flower that Ruby mentioned,” Blake replied. “She said that Lauriam’s scythe reminded her of a certain flower but she couldn’t recall which. I realised that she was right. His scythe is called Graceful Dahlia, but the only association with that flower is its colours. Come on, I have the book back at the dorm.”

The cat faunus lead her two friends back to their dorm room, all the while describing this flower that was called the bird of paradise. She said it was shaped almost like a scythe. Blake was still talking about it and it’s different colours that it can be found in as she pushed open the door to team RWBY’s dorm and walk over to her’s and Yang’s bunk. She picked up the book on the bed and opened it to a bookmarked page. Turning the book to face her friends, Blake pointed to one of five pictures of flowers that all looked to be similar in shape, though their colours varied.

“The bird of paradise, also sometimes called the crane flower,” Blake said. “It has five different species, found in different places around Remnant. Strelitzia juncea, the Vacuo desert banana, looks almost identical to Graceful Dahlia, it has the pink spathe_ eh cone, yellow and orange petals, and green stem, similar to Lauriam’s scythe, with its pink blade, yellow and orange cross guard and green handle.”

Blake then unfolded the paper that had been her bookmark and showed Ruby and Yang her drawing which, while slightly crude, showed a drawn comparison between the flower and the scythe. Ruby’s eyes widened slightly as she saw it. Yang let out a long whistle as she looked at the picture.

“Woah, you went all out on this,” the brawler commented, looking up. “Why though? Surely it would have been enough to just find a connection to the flower, why go look into colours and fancy names and other weird big words?”

“Lauriam doesn’t know what the bird of paradise flower is.”

Silence drew out for a few minutes, surprise on both the sisters’ faces. Perhaps confusion as well. The thought that Lauriam had somehow had a weapon that was so intentionally crafted to look a very specific flower that in itself looked to be its own complex creation without knowing the flower itself, it couldn’t be possible, it was rejected in their minds and left the girls feeling disbelief.

“But… he made it… didn’t he?” Yang asked. No one had an answer for that. Ruby hummed and tilted her head to the side, considering something.

“We can ask him after whatever lesson he gives us today,” she decided, to which Yang and Ruby nodded. “Let’s go find Weiss and meet Team JNPR!”

◇◆◇◆◇

Weiss was actually waiting for them in the combat classroom when the rest of the two teams walked in, reading a book on Aura manipulation. Pyrrha headed over to the heiress and stuck up a conversation. Ruby was listening to Nora describe Magnhild to her, while Ren and Blake watched, and Yang and Jaune were having an argument over dust uses in battle. That was how Lauriam discovered them when he walked in. Déjà vu amplified for the man as eight pairs of eyes fell on him; he didn’t stop as he swept past them and into the centre of the arena.

Looking around he noted that all of the students had brought their weapons. Lauriam nodded in approval before he called the students around. He looked at each of them before he began to speak.

“What I’m about to teach you is a concept I have already begun to teach Ruby,” he started softly, though loud enough to arrest the attention of the eight students around him. “I’m sure you noticed in Forever Fall that Ruby and I swapped weapons a few times, and when Crescent Rose broke, I gave her Graceful Dahlia. Today, students, I will begin to teach you the concept of knowing how to use your friend’s weapons. Because every day you fight, that you choose to keep fighting, you will bring yourself closer to the day you won’t have your own weapon. Someone, who isn’t Ruby, tell me why this is important to note.”

Ruby visibly pouted but didn’t blurt out the answer. Everyone exchanged glances, wondering slightly where Lauriam was going with this. It was Blake who tried to answer first.

“If we lose our weapon, then we need to be able to know how to use a new weapon,” the cat faunus said. “This is a lesson in adaptability.”

Lauriam nodded and then pointed to Ruby and Nora, gesturing for them both to stand in the classroom’s sparring ring. Without prompting Ruby offered Crescent Rose to Nora, who looked somewhat confused as she took the folded up scythe and hesitantly gave her friend Magnhild.

“Ruby, would you please add the revelation that you came to when I first sparred with you.”

“Just as we can use our enemies’ weapons against them,” Ruby hummed in response to Lauriam’s question. “Our own weapons can be turned against us. We need to know how to defend against our own weapons.”

Nora’s mouth fell open in surprise, and Ruby could see the horrid revelation dawning in both her eyes, and the eyes of her friends as well. The young reaper chose to inspect Magnhild, finding how it shifted into its different forms and giving it an experimental swing when she had it in hammer form.

“That is an excellent answer Ruby,” Lauriam replied, looking at each of the students. “As well as an accurate answer. Today we will start by trading weapons with someone similar to your own; Ruby and Nora, Pyrrha and Jaune, Yang and Ren, and finally, Blake and Weiss. We will begin by having you spar your partner who has your weapon, you aren’t trying to defeat each other, just get used to this new weapon in your hands. Ruby, Nora, you may begin.”

Nora squeaked as Crescent Rose turned into its scythe form, staring at it hesitantly for a moment before her face split into a grin. Ruby noted that her friend swung the scythe to find its balance before running at the red reaper. Bringing up Magnhild to block, Ruby gasped as suddenly Crescent Rose’s blade was run next to her face, having been thrown down in much the way Nora usually slammed down her hammer. Their weapons were locked now, and Ruby realised that she was in the slightly more vulnerable position, with the curved edge of the scythe’s blade poised where it could easily cut her from behind.

Ruby needed to break the weapon lock or pull Crescent Rose from Nora’s hands, and quickly. The young reaper chose the former as the safer option. Where trying to pull Crescent Rose from Nora’s hands was an option with many variables that required chance, getting away from Nora only required Ruby to find herself an escape; which came in the form of Ruby using her semblance to dash under Nora’s arms, throwing herself behind the orange haired girl.

Almost instinctually, Ruby followed through her dash by spinning around and swinging Magnhild at where Nora had been, though her friend had already rolled forward. The two girls lifted their weapons and circled each other. Ruby hummed and tried to find the quickest route to winning. An idea sparked in her head and she ran at Nora, shifting Magnhild to its gun form, and vaulting herself over her orange haired friend with a bit of help from her semblance and firing the grenades at point blank, throwing Nora forward.

“Thank-you both,” Lauriam interrupted before Nora could jump at Ruby again. “Nora, that was an excellent open, you gauged the weight of your new weapon quickly and took the opening that was given to you. Ruby, do not let yourself be caught off guard like that. As I am sure you noticed, you could have easily been cut from behind.”

He walked up between them and nodded to them both. He seemed to regard them both before he continued.

“However your follow through to escape the weapon lock was well executed, you assessed your situation and made a snap judgment, and didn’t pause to let your opponent recover when you went to attack Nora. Your second attack was a bit reckless however; Nora could have easily cut you down from your jump. I did not let you continue as I would like to get through your friends as well and move onto the second half of the lesson. An excellent start, you may both return your weapons.”

Lauriam called up Pyrrha and Jaune next, and Ruby watched their spar with interest. It was clear that Jaune had improved vastly, but also that he wasn’t used to the transformative properties of most of the weapons at Beacon for he had kept Miló in its sword form. Pyrrha also seemed to struggle a bit as well with Crocea Mors; Ruby noted her own problem with being used to having a gun on her weapon, and being too used to her own weapon. The red haired teen seemed to catch herself trying to shoot at Jaune with a non-existent gun. This actually lead to Jaune having the upper hand in the fight since he used Miló and Akoúo̱ as he would have Crocea Mors, and he managed to disarm Pyrrha when she slipped up for a third time.

Jaune helped Pyrrha up as Lauriam gave them feedback, and then they joined Ruby and Nora sitting in the seats closest to the ring as Blake and Weiss stepped up. At first the students were confused by the pair up of these two, their weapons didn’t seem that similar at all, except the heiress and the faunus seemed to understand, as they faced each other.

The young reaper in the stands gasped in understanding as suddenly the classroom ring was alight with dust attacks from Weiss, who, while less accurately than if she had Myrtenaster, was still using her semblance through Gambol Shroud. Same as Blake, who ran forward and suddenly left a fire dust enhanced clone before reappearing behind her white haired teammate. They were paired because of their use of dust in their weapons. The match was ended quickly, as Blake didn’t yet have the finesse to wield Myrtenaster, and Weiss looked uncomfortable holding Gambol Shroud.

After they had joined their friends in the seats, Yang and Ren stepped up. It was immediately apparent that Ren seemed more ready than Yang who was still inspecting StormFlower, whereas Ren was calmly standing in a stance that befitted Ember Celica. When Lauriam called to begin, Ren ran forward without giving Yang much chance to prepare herself. Luckily she was able to bring up StormFlower to block the first thrown punch. Ruby watched carefully as her sister and friend fought. Ren seemed to mostly use the Gauntlets on his hands to punch and only used the guns on them once Yang had jumped away. Yang on the other hand seemed to work out how to use the sickle guns as she fought and when she jumped back the brawler began to fire at Ren, running around him, but she wasn’t as fast as Ren usually was when doing the same thing, and her opponent eventually knocked her off her feet with a well-aimed shot.

“Well done the pair of you,” Lauriam interrupted as Yang’s eyes erupted red. The blonde brawler gasped as she realised where she was. She handed Ren back his weapons with an apology and a congratulations.

“As I am sure all of you have noticed,” Lauriam began, addressing all the students in the room. “It is quite disconcerting having your own weapon used against you. You will need to get used to that for these lessons. Yang, you need to remember your own weapon’s abilities, and how it can be fired, and be able to predict where its shots will land, even if it isn’t in your hands. Ren, you should work on your punches more, while you are already strong, I notice that your shots were slower than when Yang uses her weapon. You aren’t as physically strong as Yang; you are faster, so make up for lack of strength with speed.”

Both students nodded and then Lauriam beckoned the rest of the two teams back down to the arena. Nora vaulted herself over the barrier that separated the seating from the ring, while everyone else walked around normally. Once they were standing in front of Lauriam again, the pink haired man began to speak again.

“Now that we have established who has a similar weapon to who we shall put that aside for now. You already have a basic idea on how to use that similar weapon. But now I want you all to place your weapons in the arena behind me, space them apart evenly, and then go to a weapon you think is the complete opposite to what you already know.”

The students did so and seemed to mill around the middle looking at all of the weapons, considering which one they wanted to pick up. Blake moved first and picked up Crocea Mors, gaining a shocked look from Jaune who had expected no one to want to choose his weapon. Yang chose next, picking up Crescent Rose and giving Ruby a wink and thumbs up. Lauriam raised his eyebrow but didn’t question the choice. Ruby and Pyrrha moved together, the young reaper choosing Miló and Akoúo̱ while the spartan girl grabbed Ember Celica. Finally Weiss took Magnhild, ignoring a playful snarl from Nora who had snatched up Gambol Shroud, leaving Jaune to pick up StormFlower as Ren took Myrtenaster.

“What I am about to ask you to do can only be explained as unmitigated chaos,” Lauriam hummed as he looked at the students once they picked their weapons. “This is now a free-for-all Deathmatch. If you get knocked out either by Aura or by ring out, you will come and stand with me here, and observe your friends, and reflect on how you did. I won’t give you time to prepare, Yang, you have an advantage here, you have Crescent Rose, you have seen Ruby train, went to Signal with her and know more about Crescent Rose than anyone here aside from Ruby.”

“Why does she get to keep it then?” Weiss asked. “Surely that is against your own rules?”

“Hardly,” Lauriam laughed as he walked to where he would stand, waving his hand. “Yang doesn’t have Ruby’s semblance, which is half of how Ruby fights. Begin.”

Everyone was thrown off guard by how nonchalantly Lauriam had given his direction, and for a few seconds there was nothing, and then, as Lauriam had stated – unmitigated chaos.

◇◆◇◆◇

The battle ended with Nora as the ultimate winner. Everyone, even Ren, had underestimated her crazy ideas and grand schemes, and with Gambol Shroud in her hand, she was downright dangerous. Lauriam gave her praise, but also reminded her to learn how to use the weapon properly.

That was their homework actually, to find time to sit down with the owner of the weapon they had taken up and learn a few things from them. Most of the students left the room them, team JNPR heading to the cafeteria and Weiss saying she was going to the dorm. Ruby, Yang and Blake stayed behind though. Lauriam looked at the trio with a raised eyebrow, wondering why they had stayed.

“Is there something else you wanted to ask?” he hummed as the three approached him.

“Well… we actually wanted to ask you about Graceful Dahlia,” Blake started, pulling out a book and opening it to a page. Lauriam’s eyes widened when he saw the flowers, the bird of paradise flowers, staring at him when the faunus showed him the pages. Something throbbed dully in the back of his memory.

“I was doing some research when I discovered that your scythe looked almost exactly like the strelitzia juncea… Lauriam?”

_Strelitzia…_

_Strelitzia!_

“Strelitzia!” Lauriam gasped, pressing his hand to his head. “Why…. Why does hearing that hurt so much…? Like the name of… someone who I knew and want to find desperately. Who is… Strelitzia…?”

The three girls before him exchanged worried glances, having received more than just the answer they had been looking for. Ruby looked like she wanted to say something, however she chose not to, instead placing her hand on Lauriam’s arm.

“It will be okay, Lauriam,” she murmured. “You will remember. Come on, we’ll take you to the infirmary.”

Lauriam found himself being lead exactly where Ruby had said, the infirmary. By the time they had gotten there, his head was pounding from memories he couldn’t grasp.

_Strelitzia, who<strike>where</strike> are you?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We reached the training! This is a monumental moment in the story. Because someone has a Keyblade.... and because of how Keyblade inheritance has been explained.... two more people now potentially have the potential to summon Keyblades. Will the entire two teams get Keyblades..... no. At this point, I've only planned a set number of keyblades.
> 
> Will Lauriam get his Keyblade back? Now that I know which Keyblade he uses in Union x, he will! Just not soon. Also, tell me if you wanna see Chirithy appear. I love Chirithy. Should Chirithy appear? Should it be Lauriam's Chirithy? Or an a new Chirithy?
> 
> I also edited chapter 8 hahaha I accidentally forgot to add some formatting in HTML
> 
> \- - - - -
> 
> "̶̯͊M̶͉̌y̴̪̑ ̸̦̍h̵̗̚à̶̪ṛ̵̅d̴͓̅ ̶͕̋w̶̰̿o̶̞̾r̵͕̄k̶̝̽ ̵̢̾ŝ̵̼e̸̹̓ḛ̵̊m̴̥͆s̴͙̓ ̵͕͂t̵̤̋o̵̦̐ ̶͂ͅh̵͙̆a̵͜͝v̵̢͋e̸͌ͅ ̸͈͂b̸͈̐ę̴͋e̷̓͜ñ̸̤ ̵̥ȕ̷̟n̷̢̋d̸̝̉o̶̟̎n̶͓̈́e̷͒ͅ.̸͉͛ ̶͕̐B̸͕͐ḁ̸h̷̹͆,̴͉͊ ̷͕̎I̸̪͠ ̵̨́w̷̥͠i̵̜̚l̷̠̎l̴̯̈́ ̸̱͛s̵̬̓t̸̯̔a̴̮̅r̵̖͋t̶͇̚ ̶̬̄a̶̝̋ğ̷̥a̴͆͜i̴͔̇n̷͕̕ ̶̛ͅt̴̤̓ḧ̸̢́ẻ̸̯n̴͉̓.̴͈̅"̸̛̣ 


	11. Dusty Old Crow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was a series of coincidences that brought Lauriam and Qrow to each other's attention.

It was finally time for the first fights of the tournament and Ruby was bouncing up and down in excitement in the waiting area for teams about to go on. Lauriam was standing off to the side, leaning against the wall, because he had come down to talk with team RWBY before their first fight against team ABRN of Mistral. 

“Can I please use Graceful Dahlia??” Ruby begged, bouncing up to the pink haired man, hands clasped together as she tried very hard to pull puppy eyes. Lauriam smiled indulgently and placed a hand on the young reaper’s head.

“Tell me Ruby, you have signed your team up for the tournament, haven’t you?” he asked, smirking when Ruby stopped, looking affronted. “And which weapon did you register with?”

“Crescent Rose…” The black-red head muttered looking off to the side. “So is that a no?”

Lauriam burst out laughing at the pout that the girl summoned onto her face. It was truly adorable, and when Ruby poked out her tongue, the man worked to stifle his laughter.

“Next tournament Ruby,” he promised, much to Ruby’s delight. “If you remember, and still want to.”

The young reaper grinned then jumped in surprise as her team was called up. She waved to Lauriam then dashed after Blake, who was walking calmly towards the arena. Lauriam waved back, and then hummed as he felt a buzz in his pocket, from the scroll which Ozpin had given him. He had received a message from Jaune it seemed, who wanted to ask a question, and he had been sent a location, somewhere in the stands.

Chuckling to himself quietly, Lauriam went to meet the blonde, as well as watch team RWBY fight. Jaune waved at Lauriam when the man walked into the audience, and indicated to a seat next to his team. Walking over, the older reaper looked at the quartet that was team JNPR and hummed as he considered them. All four of them were on his list of students who could have the Keyblade.

In a moment of morbid reflection, Lauriam remembered Marluxia’s obsession with getting the Keyblade for himself. For now the man pushed the thought of trying to discover which student had a Keyblade away. 

“You wished to inquire something of me?” he asked as he sat down, looking at Jaune. The blonde nodded and then launched into a description of his ideas before he asked his question. He talked about the practicality of trading weapons mid battle, and he was describing a scenario which Lauriam only half listened to as Ruby and her team appeared. Eventually Lauriam interrupted Jaune and turned his full attention to the blonde.

“Tell me Jaune, what do you think of this strategy of yours?” he asked seriously. Jaune stopped and blinked. Then he closed his eyes and seemed to think about the question that the pinkette man had posed.

“I’m… not sure, that’s why I was asking you_” He was cut off by Lauriam holding up a hand.

“I have observed your brilliant tactical mind Jaune,” the older man said. “You can see the battle happening and you can give commands that use your teammate’s skills and talents effectively. So why do you doubt your own ability? Think of it like chess, and you have your pieces, your enemy pieces, and you have to plan ahead. Have you done that here?”

“Yes I have but_”

“Are you confident in your teammate’s skill?”

“Yes, I am.”

Lauriam tilted his head, pulling up a smile that had all the apathy that Marluxia once had, with a touch of amusement washed in.

“So what do you think about this strategy of yours?” He asked again. Lauriam stared at Jaune, challenging him to answer. The blonde teen was hesitant to answer, that much was clear, but it was also clear that Jaune was truly considering his answer this time, not just the question. Finally he answered.

“I think that it has potential, and… could see use in the future, however as we are now,” Jaune hummed, looking thoughtful this time. “It would be a huge risk to pull this out suddenly without more practice.”

Suddenly there was a loud gasp from the crowd, which made Jaune and Lauriam look down at the arena to see… a massive hole in the ice cliff terrain, Yang holding Crescent Rose, Ruby holding one of Yang’s Ember Celica gauntlets, and Weiss and Blake staring at their teammates with shock. How had this happened?

◇◆◇◆◇

Precisely two minutes before Jaune and Lauriam had looked up; down in the arena Ruby was taking shots at team ABRN with Crescent Rose. She was standing on top of a cliff of ice. Arslan had disappeared in amongst the lava terrain, leaving Ruby without anyone to shoot. Before she jumped from her perch though, she actually took the time to consider it. There was an idea forming in her head.

“Yang!” she called out, spotting her teammate nearby, who had just been tossed into the ice terrain by Nadir. The brawler dashed over when Ruby beckoned. Her eyes widened when her sister gave her Crescent Rose however, along with a magazine of gravity dust bullets.

“I need Ember Celica,” the reaper said. “I have an idea, and I need you pretending to be me. I’ll get Weiss and Blake to lure ABRN to that ice cliff.”

“What’cha gonna do?”

“Probably something dangerous!”

Yang grinned as Ruby dashed off, and she set about hiding herself from the opposing team. She actually took it a step further and hid from the cameras too so that she couldn’t be called out by Professors Port and Oobleck. Then she started to take sniping shots like Ruby had been.

Meanwhile, Ruby had rounded up her other two teammates, doing much the same as Yang, hiding from both ABRN and the cameras. With a quick conversation, Blake and Weiss made their way to the ice terrain to lure the other team as instructed, leaving Ruby to start inspecting Ember Celica. She was looking for something particular, that being the loaded shells, so that she could count them. There was enough left for her plan, excellent. Now she just needed to use her semblance to get in position without being noticed.

It only took a few seconds; she could hear Weiss call out “RUBY! NOW!” And then she was moving. Four shells fired from Ember Celica and a gravity dust bullet fired from Crescent Rose apparently had devastating effects on the arena. The four separate explosions destroyed the ice cliff, and the gravity dust crumpled the actual arena stage. ABRN also found themselves out via Aura levels.

Ruby’s mouth dropped in surprise. That was definitely not the intended result. She quickly jumped over to check on team ABRN and to apologise to them, but before she could say anything, Reese Chloris, despite looking battered and worn, grinned at Ruby and gave her a thumbs up. 

“That was awesome!” she laughed. “Man did we not see that coming!”

“It was an impressive display,” Arslan complimented with a smirk. “You made us focus on your teammates and managed to hide swapping weapon’s with your teammate. Watch out next tournament though, if we meet again, we won’t fall for that twice!”

“We’ll see about that,” Ruby replied with her own grin. The two teams walked out of the arena, RWBY to go find their friends, while ABRN went to see the paramedics for a quick check up. That was the first round to Beacon.

◇◆◇◆◇

Lauriam let team JNPR chase after their friends, telling them to pass on his congratulations to the team. He left the stadium then, intent on chasing a lead that Ozpin wanted him to follow. It wasn’t much, just a tip off for a recent sighting of White Fang operatives skulking around the harbor, but it was enough for Lauriam, using Marluxia’s experience, to find something, scuff marks on a brick wall, a stone easily removed… and a hidden box inside with the White Fang symbol on top.

Bingo.

Now he had to decide whether he should take it, or wait to see who came to collect it. There were pros and cons to both courses of action. If he took the box then he’d be able to find out what was in it, and he dare not open it now before deciding in case the collector saw his tampering, however this meant that he wouldn’t find out who took it. But if he chose to wait, then he would lose the item.

He decided that he couldn’t wait, especially since team JNPR was due to start their fight soon. After his conversation with Jaune he was quite curious to see what the young team leader had in mind. So he grabbed the box and placed in the alcove a little calling card; marked “Organisation XIII”.

Might as well blame them afterall.

Lauriam left the wall, and the area, with the box tucked neatly within the satchel he had over his shoulder. He would return to Amity before reporting to Ozpin. Like he had on the Airbus to Patch, he caught sight of someone wearing a black cloak near the wall. However he had more pressing matters to attend to, so he ignored it and kept walking.

◇◆◇◆◇

While Lauriam was off on his small job for Ozpin teams RWBY and JNPR were talking over lunch, Blake eating her fish noodles, everyone else eating theirs normal, Nora eating two bowls. Jaune ended up slumping over, his nerves making the food now in his stomach sit wrong.

“Of course!” Nora was saying, both bragging about and dissing her team at the same time. “We've got a world-renowned fighter on our team, one's basically ninja, I can bench five of me, Jaune, we trained all year, our weapons are awesome, Glynda barely yells at us anymore, and uh... Jaune!”

As Ren asked Jaune if he was going to take Nora’s dissing words, Ruby frowns in disapproval at the blonde’s demotivated reply. She found a small speech beginning to form in her head.

“I'm kidding, he knows I'm kidding,” the orange haired girl laughed in a tone that said she was more nervous than anyone else on her team. “Don't be so nervous! The worst that can happen is we lose, that is just a few more years of walking around school with everyone knowing we're failures, our friends will slowly abandon us to preserve their social status, we won't be able to show our faces in class, no one will sit with us in the cafeteria, Ren and I have no parents, we have no home left to go to, we'll be officially renamed Team Lose-iper!”

The black haired boy next to her reached out and patted her shoulder comfortingly, his expression as calm and collected as ever. Pyrrha stood up and placed her hands on Jaune and Nora’s shoulders.

“Don't fret,” she reassured with a smile that extruded confidence. “If anything, we should be looking forward to a fight with actual guidelines, and not, well ...murderers.”

Team RWBY had to grin at that. Yang exclaimed her agreement as Blake brought up her hand and started to count their achievements on her fingers.

“Let's see. Grimm invasions, violent extremists, a destructive sociopath...”

“And that's all while were still in training!” Ruby had to pipe up, leaning forward on the counter. “Oh, imagine what it would be like to graduate!”

Weiss grumbled something under her breath which made her friends smile in pity at her. Ruby was about to say something when the sound of the intercom in the faire grounds crackled to life.

“Would Team JNPR please report to the battlegrounds immediately!” came the voice of Professor Port, the two teams smirked at each other.

“Yes” Professor Oobleck added. “Like they were scheduled to, several minutes ago!”

Then the two teams burst into laughter, sans Jaune and Nora who were still looking sick or depressed.

“Well, it looks like this is it,” Pyrrah hummed, nudging her team into standing. Ruby jumped up.

“Wait, Pyrrha!” she called. “Can I talk to Jaune for a sec?”

The young reaper’s intention sparkled in her eyes and the older red head nodded with a smile, letting Ruby snatch Jaune’s sleeve and dash off to the side. Once sufficiently far enough away Ruby stopped and straightened her friend. She gave him a very serious look to stop him from speaking. Then she took a deep breath.

“Jaune, you’re going to do great out there,” she started, seriously. “As Nora said, you’ve been training all year.”

“But_!” Jaune interrupted only for the girl in front of him to press her finger to his lips to silence him.

“I’m going to tell you something that you perhaps won’t like to hear when I start,” Ruby said quietly, still staring at him with serious eyes. “Professor Ozpin made you the leader of team JNPR. Not Pyrrah, not Nora, not Ren. _**You.**_ He made you leader not for your fighting skill, we both know that while you have the potential, you currently do not have the skill.”

She glared at him when he tried to interrupt again, his face becoming even more discouraged.

“HOWEVER,” she continued with emphasis. “You have a mind for tactical thinking! You know each of your teammates’ strengths, you know how your team works together, and you know how to make use of those skills. Team JNPR is strong because you have a mind that can have your opponents out before they even realise what’s happened. Maybe you don’t have the fighting skills of Pyrrha, but your team is looking at you for their strategy because you haven’t let them down. Even if you don’t win it won’t be from a lack of fighting skill, you just got out thought. It’s like chess.”

“Like chess,” Jaune murmured, looking more and more sure of himself. “Yeah, this is like chess. We’ve got this. Alright!”

Ruby grinned as the blonde gave her a confident smile. She raised her hand and Jaune met it in a high five. Then he ran off to catch up with his team. Ren gave Ruby a wave of thanks, then team JNPR disappeared, heading for their match. Team RWBY followed soon after, since, they would reason, they had to watch their sister team utterly destroy their opponent.

◇◆◇◆◇

When the match with team BRNZ of Vacuo started, Jaune internally panicked. How could he do this? So he called a retreat, and now his team was hiding on the mountain terrain, facing a sniper in the woods and three fighters on the hexagon center.

_“It’s like chess.”_

Ruby’s serious voice floated though his mind and he took a deep breath. Right. Chess. Now he just needed to find his_

Thunder clapped behind him.

Pieces.

“Nora!” Jaune called to his teammate who was shooting the enemy, and he pointed upwards as to not call out his intentions. Thankfully the girl understood when she spotted the lightning cloud on the mountain. She saluted and started to vault the cliff to get up to perfect source of charging her semblance. Nora sent off, Jaune turned his attention to Pyrrha and Ren.

“Right, Pyrrha,” Jaune said apologetically, offering her Crocea Mors. “I need you to use your semblance. It’s time for you to smash that pedestal of yours. Use my sword and Miló together and use your semblance on our shields. Ren, pass me one of your StormFlowers. We’re going to herd them towards Pyrrha and set them up for Nora to hit them.”

The red haired warrior hesitated before she nodded and took the offered sword and shield. Ren tossed Jaune one of his guns and then dashed to reposition himself. With a deep breath, and a moment to realise she was about to kill the image of “The Invincible Girl”, Pyrrha dashed out from behind the rock she and Jaune were behind, Akoúo̱ and Jaune’s shield floating around her, moving at her will to block attacks as she lashed out. She even used her semblance to toss her own shield up to block a sniper shot at Nora.

“Ready!”

Jaune smirked as Nora’s voice trailed down from the mountain. He glanced at his scroll to check Aura levels, and then nodded to Ren.

“Nora, sniper!” He called. The answering boom told him that the girl on the mountain had taken her shot. Ren and Jaune then stood up and started firing at points that crossed behind Pyrrha, the hoplite woman pushing the opposing team forward and being followed by the barrage of bullets, herding team BRNZ to a point together. In the moment it seemed that BRNZ had forgotten that their Aura would have protected them from the bullets as they were so focused on defending against Pyrrha.

“Hit them with the hammer Nora!”

Team BRNZ froze, wondering what that meant, afterall, the girl was nowhere near_

It was a second later that Nora had landed in front of them, somehow catching them all together, swinging her hammer and knocking them all off into the field around the arena. Suddenly the noise from the crowd returned and the cheering was loud. Team JNPR walked out of the arena and waited for their opponents to applaud them for a good fight.

◇◆◇◆◇

Lauriam smirked as he clapped his hands together, watching the triumphant team walk off. He hadn’t managed to meet up with team RWBY but that didn’t change much as Ruby ran up to greet him. 

“Are you staying to watch team SSSN?” she asked. Lauriam laughed and shook his head, just as his scroll buzzed once again. He pulled out the device and sighed at the message.

“Unfortunately I have to deliver something to Ozpin,” he replied. “And find someone to bring up to his office. You have fun cheering for your friends, and I’ll find you later, okay?”

“Okay da_ Lauriam!” Ruby said, blushing as she realised what she had almost called the pinkette. The former Nobody smiled and waved, brushing it off while silently wishing she had finished the word instead of correcting herself. He then turned and walked to the arena exit.

Who was this Qrow he had to find? And why should he check the bars around Vale? Where even were the bars around the city?

That answers for his first two questions came about an hour, when he was walking up to Beacon to report his failure in finding a “Qrow Branwen”, and they came with the reflex instinct that had him calling out.

“Reflect!”

A stray bullet hit the hastily thrown shield spell, and Lauriam looked up to see… a scruffy looking man fighting against a woman who looked too much like Weiss to not be related, possibly a sister.

“SCHNEE!”

Well that ended the fight amusingly, Lauriam mused as he walked forward, happening to see Ozpin telling the crowd to disperse. Who was that man who told the woman to stop? He looked like a commander.

“Uncle Qrow!!” Ruby’s voice chirped and Lauriam was stunned to see the young reaper latch herself onto the scruffy man’s arm. Ah, so this was Qrow. He looked drunk, which explained why Ozpin had told him to search the bars. Well, that was done.

“Lauriam, you may come with us and make your own report too,” Ozpin said, drawing the pink haired man’s attention away from his own thoughts. There was a certain look that Qrow gave Lauriam which spoke of another conversation to be had later. Huh. Well alright then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be the last "scheduled" update of sorts I'm afraid. I'm back at uni this week, but I'll keep typing around my classes and assignments. I'm too attached to this story to let it fade away. So I'll update when I can guys! Comments motivate me a lot, especially when I'm struggling with assignments, you all make me smile. I'll see you all next chapter!
> 
> Lunch dialogue found on the Ruby Wiki https://rwby.fandom.com/wiki/Round_One/Transcript
> 
> \- - - - -
> 
> _foreign code detected_  
Ah hah! I found you! Now I shall attempt to stop you from doing this again.


	12. Salutations!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She came with smiles and cheery greetings, not realising the severity of the message she had been asked to pass on.

“I’ve seen less destructive fights to the death, and you weren’t even trying to kill each other.”

That was the statement that Lauriam made to Qrow and the woman, Winter, as they argued in front of Ozpin. He was leaning against the window, waiting for the argument to cease so he could give a proper report. He was actually considering just dropping box here and leaving without the report. His statement however seemed to remind everyone that Ozpin had called him along as well.

Thankfully his comment seemed to halt the argument and Lauriam took the opportunity to place the box on Ozpin’s desk. The pinkette man sent an appraising look at Ozpin.

“That’s a box of dust crystals,” he commented. “I can tell by the sound. And from what I’ve learned while doing your little jobs, they’ve been passing these around en masse then distributing them out separately.”

“Do you know what else is in there?” Ozpin asked, staring at Lauriam. The former Nobody shook his head.

“This box, like the others you had me find, has a unique lock,” he replied. “I would be able to crack it given time.”

There was a long moment of silence as Ozpin first considered the man in front of him, a silence maintained through a hand held up to stop the man in the white uniform form speaking, the General if Lauriam remembered correctly. The Headmaster’s attention then turned to the box.

“Why have you brought me this one when you have said you couldn’t bring me others?”

“I’m not the first to have stolen a drop from the White Fang,” was the reply, which caught the attention of the rest of the room’s occupants. “With that knowledge I took the box, and left a little calling card as an out for the person who has been taking boxes themselves.”

A look passed between Lauriam and Ozpin before the white haired headmaster nodded.

“I trust you will protect that person from the White Fang should your safety measure fail,” he said. The former Nobody nodded, that was what he would have done anyway, though he doubted that this person would be implicated. His scroll vibrated in his pocket again, interrupting his chain of thought, and though he ignored it, he knew exactly who it was. Only two people had his scroll number after all and one was sitting in front of him behind the glass desk.

“With your leave Headmaster,” Lauriam hummed in a tone which basically proclaimed how he didn’t really care for much of the present company. “Ruby is calling for my attention.”

That caught Qrow’s attention. The pinkette man inclined his head in acknowledgement, and then he left when Ozpin waved his hand with permission to leave.

◇◆◇◆◇

“So this Lauriam fellow you’re about to be meeting, who is he? Is he a friend, Ruby?”

Outside in the courtyard, Ruby was sitting on one of the benches that lined the area, next to an orange haired teen in a green dress. They were waiting rather patiently together, and Ruby had just put away her Scroll after texting her teammates.

“Yeah, he’s been teaching me a few things too,” Ruby replied, before she spotted the man she was talking about. “Oh! There he is! LAURIAM!!!”

The pinkette walked over with one of his ‘Nobody smiles’, as Ruby called them. The kind of smile that gave away no expression at all, though the young reaper had known Lauriam for long enough to pick up on the hidden warmth in his gaze.

“Lauriam, this is Penny,” Ruby introduced the girl beside her with a grin. “Penny, this is my dad, Lauriam!”

“Salutations, Mr Rose, sir!” Penny greeted cheerfully, giving the man a salute, not noticing how Lauriam had frozen. “It is a pleasure to meet you! I am Penny, one of Ruby’s friends!”

The former Nobody shook himself then crossed his hands over his chest, his smile growing. He seemed to inspect Penny for a moment, that moment spent by Ruby shifting on her heels. In her mind, Ruby was silently begging him to not notice anything off about Penny. Lauriam was someone she trusted, but Penny’s secret was Penny’s to tell. Thankfully, the man said nothing that alluded to anything he may have noticed.

“The pleasure is mine Penny,” he replied. “I enjoy meeting Ruby’s friends. You are from Atlas then? I believe I saw you with… General Ironwood was it?”

“Yes! That is correct,” the orange haired girl replied, dropping her hand and looking at the former Nobody. “Oh! I just remembered; there was this man who had a letter that he said was very specifically addressed to someone of your precise description! He said that he had gotten the letter from some other poor soul, who had gotten it from another! I suppose then it’s gone through many hands… whoever would go through that kind of trouble for just one small piece of paper?”

The aforementioned paper was pulled from Penny’s pocket and handed to Lauriam. The man unfolded it and started to read it. At first he didn’t seem to think anything of it, but as he kept reading his expression tightened, as if he was hiding… anger. Ruby shrunk back. What was on that letter?

“The man… was he wearing a black cloak and an eyepatch?”

The young reaper swallowed, no, it wasn’t anger that Lauriam had been hiding; it was raw fury. And it was no longer hidden when Penny nodded, though the fury was wiped away when the man noticed the fear on Ruby’s face. He sighed and ran a hand through his pink hair.

“Penny, I’m afraid that man lied to you,” he said in a defeated voice, his expression wary. “And if you see him again don’t approach him. He’s dangerous.”

“Who is he?” Ruby asked quietly. Lauriam looked at her and Ruby was surprised to see a look of resignation on his face.

“Someone who shouldn’t be here,” he replied. “Excuse me Ruby; I have to deal with this, before he finds you. I will see you later.”

He left without another word, not looking back when Ruby called out. The young reaper sighed and looked apologetically at Penny. The other girl shrugged. She didn’t mind.

“Well, I guess there isn’t much we can do then,” Ruby smiled wryly. “While we’re waiting for Uncle Qrow and General Ironwood to come from their meeting with the Headmaster, would you like to come with me to my team’s dorm? Oooh! Maybe Yang is there!”

“Certainly Ruby!” Penny replied with a smile, ever cheerful. “I would love to see what your dorm rooms are like in comparison to the dorms at Atlas.”

Ruby grinned then led her friend towards and into Beacon’s dormitory building. They were talking quietly about what had happened since they had last seen each other, Ruby about Lauriam and how she had found out about him, and then Penny talking about different things she had seen since she had come to Vale. When they reached RWBY’s dorm they met Winter and Weiss who were just leaving. 

“Your room is so very different to mine,” Penny commented as she looked around. “My room looks more bland and plain. We aren’t really meant to customise our rooms in Atlas.”

“How on Remnant do you survive?” Ruby asked dramatically, sending both girls into fits of giggles. This was how Qrow found the pair when he walked into team RWBY’s dorm with Yang on his heels.

“Heya Penny!” Yang chirped with a grin. “How ya doing?”

“I am doing well,” Penny replied cheerfully. “The General is waiting for me then?”

“That he is little lady,” Qrow replied. “He seemed to be in a bit of a hurry.”

Penny gasped then hugged Ruby, bidding her a quick goodbye before dashing out of the room to meet Ironwood. When she left, the young reaper suddenly had the feeling of impending conversation. She helped her sister and uncle set up the room to play games though, and then sat down. Though when Qrow sat on the ground beside her with a grim expression on his face, Ruby knew that the conversation was coming first.

“So…” he started slowly. “Wanna tell me what the deal with this ‘Lauriam’ is and why he seems to be close to you Ruby?”

The red-black haired teen sighed and started from the beginning, explaining how she had discovered her mother’s diary, how the two teams had gone to Vale, how they had found Lauriam, and everything since then. During the story Qrow didn’t interrupt, he didn’t say a word, and his expression became more and more thoughtful.

“Lauriam is Marluxia then?” He asked, and while Yang nodded, Ruby looked a bit hesitant to answer affirmative. Qrow turned his attention to her.

“He… doesn’t want the name Marluxia to affect his life anymore,” she hummed, using her knowledge that she had gained from Lauriam himself, as well as what she had discerned from conversations with her Bá, and her own intuition. “He is disgusted by much of what he did as Marluxia, but he can’t remember anything about being Lauriam.”

“You say that like Lauriam and Marluxia are different,” her uncle challenged. Ruby rested her elbows on her knees and brought her hands to her chin. She thought out her answer before she looked Qrow in the eyes to respond.

“Marluxia is Lauriam,” she stated softly by firmly. “Marluxia is a part of who Lauriam is, and he needs to come to terms with that. Lauriam is someone who has to live with the memories of being Marluxia, and currently doesn’t know how.”

There was a significant look that Qrow sent her; a question asked silently, which the young reaper nodded in response to. Ruby knew exactly what she was doing. Qrow smirked with amusement, before he held up a controller for a game. Both Ruby and Yang pounced at the remote, both wanting to challenge their uncle first. The serious discussion was over, it was time for games.

◇◆◇◆◇

When Lauriam returned to team RWBY’s dorm he looked like his normal collected self, though his smile was faker than fake grass, and Ruby knew it. Something had happened, and the young reaper would bet any amount of Lien that whatever it was, it had to do with the letter. No time to ask that though, her uncle had already stood up.

“Less destructive fights from people trying to kill each other?” Qrow asked, with an amused quirk to his mouth. “Perhaps you would like to spar?”

“Perhaps I would, but not today,” Lauriam replied with his own smirk. “You’ve already had one fight today; a second fight and against me might send you to the infirmary for overexertion.”

The two men were silent a moment before Qrow burst out into laughter, pulling Lauriam’s hand into a handshake and giving him a hearty pat on the back. 

“Oh, I like you, you’re an amusing one,” he grinned. “How about you and me have a discussion over a beer then?”

A small cough came from Ruby and both adults looked down at the teen only to find her shooting a look at the pinkette man. She knew what happened last time Lauriam had accepted a drink from someone from her family, Lauriam knew as well, and she knew that Qrow was worse than Taiyang.

“Just go to the cafeteria,” she said flatly. “No one will question two huntsmen visiting the cafeteria.”

Needless to say, Lauriam and Qrow didn’t go to a bar.

◇◆◇◆◇

They did end up going to the cafeteria as Ruby had suggested, because it was the most convenient location for their discussion, which ranged from what Lauriam did before coming to Beacon, what he had done since then, and Qrow’s recounts of what kinds of missions he himself had been doing. The cafeteria was also closer than a bar and it was starting to get later into the afternoon, closer to evening.

That was when Qrow decided to make his statement, as they both sat at the end of one of the tables.

“Whether you realise it or not,” he started, gaining a curious look from Lauriam. “There has been a competition between you and Tai. Neither of you are knowing or willing participants in this, it just happened, and it sprang into existence when Ruby found her mum’s diary. It was a competition that Tai has already conceded defeat to, and I could almost say that he’s happy that you’re here, giving Ruby another attachment to Summer. He’ll always be protective of Ruby, but he is okay with you entering her life, and as such Ruby is going to end up calling you dad, Tai has made sure of that, while also making sure Ruby didn’t feel bad doing so. So what are you going to do about it?”

Lauriam opened his mouth to respond, but then closed it, thinking back to the letter that he had received. His expression darkened, and a new response formed in his mind. He looked up at Qrow.

“I’m going to do everything I can do to keep her safe,” he said. “And I need your assistance. Can I count on you for that?”

◇◆◇◆◇

_Hey Marluxia!_

_Oh, but you don’t go by that name anymore do you? Nah, its Lauriam now ain’t it? Funny I used to know a Lauriam, oh wait, that WAS you, wasn’t it? You remember don’t you, when we used to hang out all buddy like, before you became a Nobody? As if! _

_Nah, I’m writing to you as a little peace offering, see. I covered for your missing arse for so long during your time in the Organisation, even stayed silent about your little rebellion. Too bad Xemnas found out anyway, huh? Anyway, after Sora defeated you and the rest of the Castle Oblivion guys he came to the World That Never Was and took down the rest of us too. Yup! This letter is from the Somebody me, and Organisation XIII has been shut down for good! Wow, what a nice letter bearer I am!_

_As if!! Unfortunately for you, Buttercup, I’m back, and so is Xemnas, under new boss man Xehanort. Maybe you’ve heard of him? Yeah, he wants to reform the great and powerful χ-blade, and he’s looking for thirteen darknesses to meet the seven lights. You realise what the original Organisation was for now, don’t you? You always were the smart one. I’m sure somewhere in that memory of yours is information on the χ-blade. So this letter is actually a warning to you._

_Xemnas knows about this world, and while he doesn’t know about you, I can guarantee that he will be looking for you to bring back to the Organisation. Look on the bright side though! At least there’s no more numbers. If you want to meet me to talk, I’ll be hanging out in this “Remnant” world for a few more days. Hey, I may even have some information on that Summer you were chasing. Meet me in the Crow Bar, near the wharf. If you really want to. I won’t judge you too harshly if you don’t._

_X_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting slightly early because this is finished and I may not be able to post tomorrow.
> 
> Hey all sorry for the slightly longer absence. Uni has been taking a bit to get into again and I needed to finish this chapter. Though finish it I did and I'm happy with the result.
> 
> Did you get reminded that we're in Volume 3 events now? I sure did when I was typing. Good grief... And who is this random and absolutely mysterious black cloaked person with an eyepatch??? I absolutely don't know who that is and he certainly isn't doing to have any baring on the story at all! *shifty eyes* Oh hey Penny! I couldn't leave you out, you're too sweet.
> 
> Next time - more Vytal Festival Tournament ANNNNNND Lauriam starts getting suspicious of happenings...


	13. Illusions in the Mist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darkness is growing around the tournament, and there are too many mysteries to consider. Lauriam realised that everything was falling apart.

It was time for the doubles rounds of the tournament and Lauriam was sitting away from Ruby and her team this time, as he watched the combatants. He had already seen a few other teams as well but now he was waiting for Coco Adel and Yatsuhashi Daichi of team CFVY from Beacon to fight Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai of team CMEN from Haven. There was an air of excitement around him that he couldn’t quite feel. He couldn’t, because he was looking for anything that was off, he could not find it in himself to relax.

So busy scanning the crowd was he that Lauriam almost missed it, almost missed the one action that glued his eyes to arena below. Emerald and Mercury backed into the long grass and disappeared by the time that Coco had cut the grass down with her Gatling gun. Well, to the pair below it seemed liked they had disappeared. But Lauriam saw both of the Mistral students run out of the grass in opposite directions, so why were Coco and Yastuhashi staring in shock?

It was only a few minutes later that a suspicion was being formed in his mind as he watched Coco land on her back beside Yastuhashi. He stood up and made his way through the Amity Colosseum to where he knew team CFVY would be meeting; the infirmary on this flying arena. 

“I thought that Yastuhashi was in the forest with me,” Coco insisted when Lauriam asked her quietly what had happened. “I could see and hear him as clearly as I see and hear you now. And then the announcement saying he was out sounded and he was gone. You… don’t suspect foul play do you, Mr. Rose?”

There it was again, just as Penny had, Coco was now calling him Mr. Rose. He couldn’t focus on that now however, because Coco’s question was vastly more important, this whole issue was vastly more important than small details as his non-existent last name. Lauriam sighed and shook his head.

“Unfortunately, Miss Adel,” he hummed as he considered her. “I can’t say, for I honestly don’t know yet. Though what you have told me will help me find out. Thank-you for answering my question, even if this turns out to be baseless paranoia.”

“Paranoia sir?” the teen before him asked.

“Yes,” Lauriam admitted warily, also realising he needed a sudden excuse for his question, and at the same time realising that the perfect scapegoat had fallen into his grasp rather willingly, a few days ago. “… if you see a man in a black cloak, long black hair, a few grey streaks, and an eyepatch over his right eye, stay away from him.”

The way Coco’s eyes widened made Lauriam suspect that she had seen the one he described. He nodded to her before he stood up and walked out.

◇◆◇◆◇

Ruby was watching Penny fight, as she waited for Lauriam. She had seen his expression as he had walked away from the area. He hadn’t seen her because he was focused on his thoughts. Apprehension clawed up her back as something akin to fear. Ruby wanted to ask Lauriam what was on his mind, he was worried about something.

The applause that erupted around her shook her from her thoughts and Ruby realised that she had missed the match. Penny and her partner seemed to have won though, which the young reaper wanted to congratulate her friend for, so Ruby went to find the android girl.

“Hey Penny!” was all she managed to say before she found herself tackled to the ground in a hug from the orange haired girl once Ruby found her.

“Ruby!”

As the young reaper groaned in defeat, Penny stood up and gestured to the blue haired girl beside her, introducing her as Ruby got off the ground herself.

“Ruby, this is my teammate_”

“Ciel Soleil,” the girl interrupted with a formal bow. “And you are Ruby Rose, fifteen. Hails from Patch. Leader of Team RWBY. Status: Questionable.”

_What?_ Ruby thought questioningly, even as she silently imagining Lauriam walking up behind Ciel and asking why she knew so much about his daughter, scythe in hand. A faint blush dusted her cheeks as she realised the absentminded thought which had entered her mind.

“Soooooo…” the young reaper drew out, not really knowing how to respond to this girl. “Penny! You two were incredible out there! How on Remnant do you keep control of all those swords? It’s so cool!”

“Penny?” Ciel interrupted again. “I believe it is best if we move onto our next location.”

Ruby managed to school her face to not show her discomfort. _Thanks, I guess. Don’t want to talk to you either…_ Thankfully Penny looked at her before asking her teammate for a minute. Ciel stepped away, watching her wristwatch in a manner which made Ruby roll her eyes.

“Is she your friend…?” the reaper asked her friend once they were standing away from the girl. Penny shrugged and glanced at Ciel.

“Well, in a way,” she replied. “She’s like Blake, but if Blake was ordered to spend time with you.”

“Oh. So, Weiss then.”

The two girls started to giggle at that. They spoke together for a few more seconds, well aware that Ciel was keeping time like a Nevermore. It was about then that Lauriam walked over, greeted by both girls with waves.

“Hello Mr Rose!” Penny greeted. “Oh, Ruby, before I go, there was something I’ve been wanting to tell you. I want to stay at Beacon.”

The last sentence was whispered after a furtive glance at Ciel who was now glaring at Lauriam. Ruby almost replied before Penny continued.

“I know they won’t allow it, but I have a plan.”

“It’s been precisely one minute, ma’am.”

Ciel interrupted one final time, much to Ruby’s distaste. The girl walked over with a no-nonsense expression. However the reaper smiled and waved goodbye to her friend before turning to Lauriam, hyperaware of turn her imagination just a minute earlier. If Lauriam was already here did that mean that he had heard Ciel? Ruby inspected the pink haired man and decided that couldn’t be the case, as he had a distracted look on his face.

“Come on da_ Lauriam,” Ruby smiled, fear gripping her heart as she almost called him ‘dad’ again. She wanted to, but would Lauriam let her? Afterall, he seemed to want to detach himself from Marluxia, and technically her father was Marluxia. To Ruby; Lauriam and Marluxia were the same person, but she didn’t want to push that idea.

So instead she dragged the man over to the seats and she started to tell him about Yang and Weiss’ strategy dependant on their opponents and randomised terrain. Lauriam nodded along as he allowed himself to be drawn into the conversation. It then turned into a play by play recount of what the two girls from team RWBY were doing in the fight.

“Oh! Weiss is preparing glyphs to attack Flynt, oh no!” It seemed the boy had interrupted the heiress’ rhythm and sent her flying back with three duplicates of himself. Killer Quartet was certainly an appropriate name. Then Ruby’s hands fly to her mouth as a few moments later, Weiss threw herself at Flynt and knocked him into a fire geyser.

“Weiss!” she gasped. Behind her, Blake, who had sat down while the young reaper had been talking, tapped her leader’s shoulder and gestured out of the seats. The two girls ran off, leaving Lauriam who was now frowning again.

◇◆◇◆◇

As Lauriam watched Yang, he noted that she was becoming enraged rather quickly. If his suspicions were proved correct, that could be used against her. Yes, she was stronger the more she was hit, and there was also an increase in strength when she was angry, however, blind rage would get her killed. The man decided he needed to talk to her and try and teach her out of this recklessness. Or get Taiyang or Qrow onto the girl’s case.

When the match finished, Lauriam found himself teleporting away, an unconscious and reflex reaction that he didn’t think about, and when he found himself standing in the entrance hall of Beacon he suddenly realised what he had done. A memory from Marluxia forced its way into his mind, of the room that had been the Organisation’s round table, a circle of thrones, and the boy with a face so familiar it had hurt. Another thing that should have been impossible, but Lauriam found that Summer had probably brought to light the heart that had possibly existed in the Nobody.

He pushed the memory away with a snarl of self-disgust. He didn’t want to see those memories, he wanted to remember being Lauriam, wanted to forget Marluxia. Why did those memories insist on returning when he did not want them? Spinning on his heel, a dark voice in the back of his mind murmuring that with the Organisation’s coat it would have been more dramatic, Lauriam stalked further into Beacon academy. 

He walked straight past Pyrrha who called out to him in concern, but he ignored her.

◇◆◇◆◇

_Polaris (2.08 pm): Is there a reason that Lauriam just walked past me angrily?_

_Polaris (2.09 pm): He didn’t even acknowledge me when I asked him what was wrong._

_RoseReaper (2.09 pm): Whaaaat? But…. Aren’t you at Beacon still? Blake and I only just left him in the are_ oh._

_Silent_Darkness21 (2.10 pm): He was frowning when we ran off._

_Polaris (2.12 pm): Where are you both right now?_

_Sun_Dragon (2.13 pm): They’re with me and Weiss now._

_Polaris (2.14 pm): If I think about it… Lauriam looked rather self-loathing. Whatever would that be about?_

_RoseReaper (2.17 pm): Don’t worry about it Pyrrha… It’s something that he needs to come to terms with, if it is what I think it is. I’ll ask him later._

_PANCAKES (2.18 pm): MAYBE HE FORGOT TO RETURN A BOOK TO THE LIBRARY!_

_Lotus (2.18 pm): Nora, you have caps lock on again. And let’s just leave this to Ruby, okay?_

_PANCAKES (2.19 pm): Sooooorrry~!_

_The_HUNTSman (3.30 pm): OH shoot! I forgot to return that book to the Library! It shuts at 4!_

_Polaris (3.30 pm): I can come with you!_

_The_HUNTSman (3.31 pm): No, that’s alright Pyrrha, I can do it on my own._

_Polaris (3.34 pm): :(_

◇◆◇◆◇

A day later found Lauriam in the cafeteria scanning the room when a hand landed on his shoulder. Looking back, the pinkette man saw Qrow standing behind him with a lazy smirk on his face. Lauriam himself had only just finished a second lesson with the two teams and had felt the gaze of someone watching him the entire time. Though Qrow stood in front of him now… somehow Lauriam knew that it wasn’t the scruffy Hunter who had been watching him.

_I’ll be hanging out in this “Remnant” world for a few more days._

“You were training Ruby, Yang and their friends I see,” Qrow commented, affirming that he had also been watching, but it was still basically a confirmation that the eyes that were watching Lauriam were not Qrow, for he had been watching Ruby and Yang. But that didn’t matter; there was only one person, who he knew was currently on Remnant, who he knew would hide in the shadows to watch him.

“They have strengths and weaknesses,” Lauriam replied with an easy smile. “I seek to turn their weaknesses into strengths as well.”

Qrow nodded approvingly before getting serious again. He came up and stood beside Lauriam, noticeably a full head shorter than the pinkette, and started scanning the crowd as the former Nobody had been. When his gaze found the group of students they had just been talking about, Qrow’s eyes widened.

“Why have you been observing them so closely?” he asked, his red eyes shifting to the side to look at Lauriam who was once again trying to decipher the group. “I get trying to train them, but it seems more like they’re bewildering you more and more.”

Lauriam tugged at the white sleeve of his shirt before closing his eyes. He took a small breath and let it out in a soft sigh.

“Because I’m trying to discern the impossible,” he replied finally. “It should be impossible, yet somehow; one of those students has a Keyblade, a weapon that while looks like a giant key, is a tool of Light used to banish darkness. It is rather effective against Heartless, probably against Grimm too. There is only three ways to get a Keyblade.”

A thousand questions seemed to flash through the eyes of the shorter man, but Qrow just waited for Lauriam to continue his explanation.

“The first way is for a particularly skilled master to draw a Keyblade from the wielder’s heart,” the man hummed, wondering, not for the first time, where this knowledge had come from. Had he known about Keyblades before becoming a Nobody? “This cannot be the answer I’m looking for, as a Master would then take the student to train them. No one on either team is trained to use a Keyblade. The second way is through an inheritance ceremony which test’s a potential student’s strength of heart, and should they be worthy, the Keyblade will manifest for them, eventually. Equally impossible for the same reason as the first, a Master would have taken them and trained them, though it is possible for it to have been accidental, but there are no Keyblade wielders here.”

Lauriam paused again and ran a hand through his hair, trying to puzzle out this mystery and find the truth.

“Finally, a Keyblade can be passed on, given from teacher to student,” he finally continued, looking at Qrow fully. “That Keyblade would become the student’s rather than then student getting their own. Once again, there are no Keyblade wielders on Remnant for any one of those eight to have gotten a Keyblade from. Finally, not one of their weapons LOOKS like a Keyblade.”

“You have to look at this like Murdoc Holmes,” Qrow said with a snort, taking his flask from his belt and opening it. “What is it that guy always said in his books? ‘Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.’ If you think about it for just a little bit, there’s only one student in that group who it could possibly be, despite it being impossible.”

Lauriam tilted his head, much like Ruby did, confusion washing over his expression. What on Remnant did that mean? Qrow patted the man’s shoulder and then walked away, waving his hand as he went.

“I’ll let you figure it out,” he called cheerfully over his shoulder. “Then you can explain Keyblades more once you do.”

With that, Qrow walked out of the room. Lauriam watched him leave, his thoughts swirling chaotically. After a minute, he too left, to think over what Qrow had said. Which student was this student who was the only one who could possibly have a Keyblade?

◇◆◇◆◇

The tournament had finally reached the single matches and Lauriam was late. He had been on a call to Ozpin, receiving a new mission of sorts for after the tournament, a request to find a new Heartless which had been detected prowling around, and now the pinkette man was texting Ruby as he walked up into the arena stands. He knew he wouldn’t be able to get a seat now, that’s how late he was, but he was allowed to stand and watch the match. He quietly showed his pass into the seating for the schools, showing that he was with Beacon Academy, and walked up, just as Ruby sent him a text saying that Yang had been selected to fight Mercury.

The name sparked something; that was the name of one of the ones who had been fighting against Coco and Yatsuhashi. Mercury Black. Lauriam stepped out into the main area of Amity Colosseum just as the sparring ring was being lifted into the air. Lauriam hummed as both Yang and Mercury prepared themselves for a fight. When the match began they wasted no time, dashing at each other. With interest, Lauriam noted that both were competent martial fighters; though something seemed… off about Mercury’s kicks.

The two martial artists seemed to test each other’s reflexes for a bit before they began throwing dust rounds, shells from Ember Celica, and some form of energy from whatever Mercury’s boots were. Lauriam thought it was an interesting weapon choice. 

For another minute the entire stadium watched these two fight; full strength, test and feint punches, until Yang forced Mercury off the edge of the platform. Lauriam thought it was over, but the boy seemed to have more than a few surprises in him as he kicked out and launched two of his own force projectiles to shift his momentum back onto the stage.

Then Mercury did something bizarre, considering there was no way he hadn’t heard about Yang’s semblance by now, Yang and Weiss’ match wasn’t that long ago, and the blonde had been talking loudly about her semblance to anyone who had asked. So why was Mercury creating a vortex of energy blasts which would only serve to strengthen his opponent should he fail to actually knock down the girl; which is precisely what he failed to do, when just seconds after sending all the blasts into a drill like attack at Yang, fire erupted around the platform and Yang was enraged.

Lauriam glanced at the screen showcasing the Aura levels; Yang was close to the end of her Aura, while Mercury had a decent chunk of his Aura left. Whatever Aura the Mistral student had left however was quickly chipped away by the punches thrown in quick succession by the red-eyed Yang. Mercury was left with no Aura on the screen. Yang had won. That should have been the end of it. 

But then Yang punched Mercury’s leg. There was no explanation for it, all Lauriam saw was something that looked like panicked anger and then there was the punch to the leg, replayed over and over on the screens. He didn’t even realise he had run up to the wall of the spectators ring until his hand curled into a fist on hard stone. Even though she was down in the ring, Yang’s eyes met Lauriam’s and all he could see was confusion, and a desperate need for an anchor in a sea of booing and jeering.

“So, Blondielocks throws a punch at a poor defenceless kid and that’s all anyone needs to now, right?” a chillingly familiar voice drawled from behind Lauriam as Yang was escorted by soldiers out of the arena. “As if! That’s one of your kids, ain’t it Marluxia? One of your precious apprentices? That’s an awful amount of negative energy coming from the crowd there, Buttercup. What’cha gonna do about it?”

The pink haired man spun on his heel, resisting the violent urge to summon his scythe, as he came face to face with Xigbar, who had a shark-like grin on his face.

◇◆◇◆◇

_I was telling Marluxia about different semblances today. Actually, it was more of a rant about how the criminals ALWAYS seem to have an illusionist of some sort in their ranks. It just gets annoying; I don’t do bounties on criminals anymore. Oh, but then Marluxia tells me about a brat called Zexion, who is also an illusionist. He speaks about this Organisation a bit, and it’s members, but it’s annoying how much like a mafia group this Organisation XIII is. Maybe they are a mafia group. Maybe they come from Mistral. Bah, my head hurts. The moment the moon is at its highest point, I am waking up Marluxia and going to bed! Damn illusionists._

__

_\- Summer Rose’s Journal, Personal Entries_

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, hey Xigbar! What are you doing here? 
> 
> Lauriam has now started down the path to Sherlock Holmes-ing the answer to "who has the Keyblade?" Isn't this great! I still haven't announced who it is, and as Lauriam pointed out, it is literally impossible for any one of the eight to have it.... BUT as Qrow pointed out - there is only one student who it could possibly be. But a curious point was raised - why hasn't the Keyblade changed back to it's key form? Sora and Lea's Formchanging doesn't stay changed forever - yet whoever's weapon is this Keyblade has remained in the form of the weapon of the student.
> 
> Hello everyone! I hope you are all staying well in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since everyone is being asked to stay home from some degree to another, here's a new chapter for you all to read! Uni has sapped my ability to type, so once again, my updates won't be as regular.
> 
> As such I have a question for you all! I have run out of backlog for my chapters, so I am up to chapters that I am typing. With this in mind; would you prefer me to upload chapters as soon as I finish them, or would you prefer me to wait and do my weekend uploads still if I have a chapter to upload on the weekend?
> 
> \- - - - -
> 
> "̴̳͒I̸̠̐t̴̞̏ ̸̼̕t̷̠o̷͔͛ȏ̷̜ķ̷̊ ̷̥̋a̸̛͓ ̴̻̏ẅ̵̳́h̷̠͐i̶̦̓l̸͓̿e̸̳͆ ̴͍̾t̵̮͘ó̵̘ ̵̙͂ǵ̸̯e̵̖͐t̶̢̐ ̵̲̓b̷̟͝ä̶̗́c̵͋͜k̸̗̾ ̶̳͝i̵͓̕n̶̗͗.̸̛̥.̵̤̈.̷̠̇ ̵͓͂I̴̯͒t̶͕̿ ̷̬̚s̷͍͗e̸̟͠e̴̩̚m̵̚͜s̶̢̀ ̴̬̊I̵̹͝ ̷̩̓h̶̞͒a̷̟̍v̸̺̊e̷͔̓ ̷̫͐b̶̹͆e̸̥̽e̸̫͌n̷̜̊ ̷̠̑ň̸̝o̴̥͝t̴͖͘i̶͔̚ĉ̴͍e̷̻d̵͓̒.̴̹̈ ̸̭̓N̷̥͝o̷̻̚ ̶̪̐m̷̰̐ḁ̶t̶͚͝t̷͔̐e̴͎͂r̵͕,̷̟̚ ̵̣͘ť̵͎h̸̀ͅḛ̶̿y̶̗̕ ̶͈̓ć̶̯ả̷͖ǹ̸͜n̵͚͝o̴͉͒t̸̫͐ ̷̧̆ĉ̷͓ẖ̵̆à̴̰n̸̬̚g̴̹̈́e̷̬͆ ̸̬̋w̵̱̋h̶̡̓ä̶̞́t̴̰̚ ̸̞ì̴̟s̸̳̄ ̷̠́t̶̹͐o̵͇͌ ̵̣͌c̵̼̃ǒ̵̼m̷̲͛e̸̯͐.̴̬̎ ̵̟̎M̸̻̈́y̷̞͒ ̶̣̅p̸̧̍l̸̖̓a̶͖̕n̴̬͐ ̶̗͊w̵̟͛i̸͈͌l̵̞̓l̵̗̈ ̷̺̌b̸͓̈e̴̪͛ ̸̝͒r̵͈̊e̸̛͔s̷̼̀t̴͇o̸͔͌r̵̯̅e̷͖͘d̵̯̊.̸̭͐.̵͔̐.̴̗̈"̵͍͠ 


	14. Rage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When it comes down to it, when the first shots get fired... who are you going to trust?

_“What’cha gonna do about it?”_

That was Xigbar’s question, it was taunting, as if the Freeshooter had known the answer already. Perhaps he did, because Lauriam knew it too, and by fact that Xigbar had likely read Marluxia’s old report; both knew that the collective negativity growing in the crowd would slowly be calling Grimm towards the city. Lauriam’s hand twitched, but Xigbar smirked.

“Ah ah ah,” he laughed. “No drawing your weapon on me, you don’t want to be arrested after all.”

“What do you want Xigbar?” the pink haired reaper sighed in irritation, turning his attention to the Nobody. “I thought you said you weren’t going to approach me.”

“More precisely I said I wouldn’t approach ya on Organisation XIII business again,” Xigbar replied, cocking his head slightly as his smirk grew. “This ain’t related to the Organisation, now is it? I told ya that I’d help, Marluxia.”

“I also told you that I don’t trust you.”

Lauriam’s cold response brought laughter from the former Number II of the Organisation. Out of place amongst the crowd who was still booing and jeering, angry and raging, but thankfully the crowd was louder than Xigbar. 

“That’s good,” the arrow gunner crowed once his laughter subsided. “You shouldn’t trust me! Though, if you were forced to choose, would ya rather trust me, or trust Xehanort.”

Lauriam froze, his blue eyes widening slightly as he stared searchingly at Xigbar. That statement was rather ominous.

“Is Xemnas_?”

“Here?” Xigbar finished for the man. “As if. No, Xemnas ain’t, you lucked out there. However Xehanort is, very specifically for you. He doesn’t know about lil’ Ruby. I did convince ‘im that you’re now a teacher. Congrats, Buttercup! Though my offer last time still stands; I’ll help ya keep Ruby safe.”

There was a silence between the two, where Lauriam seemed to be arguing with himself on whether or not to just pull out his scythe and attack Xigbar. The crowd was falling quiet though, listening to the announcement being said by Professors Port and Oobleck. 

“Why do you care anyway?” Lauriam sighed in irritation, turning away from the Nobody. He heard Xigbar hum as if considering his answer.

“Ya know, that’s a good question,” he replied, false cheer colouring his voice. “That’s for me to know and you to find out. But I’ll leave you to think on that. I’ll know if you made a choice. For now though; seeya ‘round, Marluxia!”

“My name is Lauriam,” the pink haired man growled, only for the Freeshooter to snort with amusement, causing the reaper to turn to face Xigbar.

“As if!” he sneered. “You ain’t Lauriam yet, you’re still incomplete. But I do have to ask, Marluxia, is a recompleted Lauriam even possible anymore? Or will you just be broken forever?”

A Corridor of Darkness opened behind Xigbar, and the Nobody started walking backwards.

“Don’t you have a brat to be helpin’?”

He was long gone by the time Lauriam had recovered from the verbal blow delivered to him. The former Nobody’s fist clenched at his side as he disappeared into his own Corridor to go find Ozpin.

◇◆◇◆◇

Ruby sighed as she watched Blake and Weiss head off to share their respective beverages after talking with team JNPR, her heart felt heavy. Something bad was happening, she could feel it, and suddenly she felt small, like there was nothing she could do. However she still smiled at team JNPR, albeit a tad weakly, and waved her goodbye before scampering off.

She did actually have something to do though, or rather, something she wanted to do. A few days ago, Taiyang had sent Yang and Ruby two recorded messages; from Summer Rose. Her Bá had told his two girls to only watch the messages when they were feeling down. Ruby couldn’t really think of a better time than now.

And so that is how Ruby found herself in the courtyard of Beacon, surprisingly alone, watching a recorded video of her mum. It was rather surreal, watching a video, recorded by Taiyang, because Summer was arguing with the man holding the camera, seeing the black and red hair, so similar to her own. Then, Summer’s eyes finally met the camera.

_“Hello Ruby, my darling gemstone.”_

The young teen found herself swept away by her mother’s voice, it was almost as if she was sitting in front of Summer Rose herself.

_“As my mother did for me, I too wanted to record you a message for you. If you’re watching me right now, then you must be feeling like the weight of the world is crushing and there seems to be no light in sight. Chin up Ruby, everything will be fine. It may not seem like it now, but it will get better. Uncle Taiyang, your Father and I will ensure that.”_

_Summer clasped her hands together and looked to the side with a sigh._

_“Is your father there with you now? Have I even told you about him? Last I saw him, he promised to return, wild and elaborate plan to escape the influence of Xemnas on his lips. He said he’d come back, to me and to you only after he could guarantee Xemnas was gone… I miss him, so very much, and with the Grimm threat growing each day, I wish he was by my side again… so Ruby, I do understand the troubles that you may be facing right now.”_

_The woman’s smile was radiant as she looked straight at Ruby, tilting her head to the side, an action often mimicked by Lauriam, and Ruby herself._

_“I do hope Marluxia is with you now; and that he is helping me protect you. You are our precious gemstone, Ruby. Even if it seems hard right now, we are here to support you. Your whole family is right behind you, supporting you. I want you to ask me anything sweetheart. I love you.”_

_Pressing her fingers to her lips, Summer blew a kiss, before the spell was broken with three words._

_“Your mother, Summer.”_

Just like that, Ruby was reminded that her mother wasn’t actually there, and that it was only a video recording on her scroll. Raising her hand to her cheek, Ruby gently touched the tears she hadn’t realised had started to roll down her cheeks. Scrubbing at her eyes, the young reaper swiped away the tears and stood up. It was afternoon now, and the next fight was about to start, Pyrrha or Penny might selected for the tournament. She couldn’t be crying and cause her friends to worry, she needed to be ready to cheer for her friends.

And as she walked back towards the colosseum, a new resolution solidified itself in Ruby’s heart.

◇◆◇◆◇

“The people are growing angry, doubtful. Grimm are being drawn to this growing collective unrest, Ozpin, and someone is pulling these strings like a puppet.”

“That someone being Mercury and his partner and perhaps his team, as you have informed me. What would you have me do?”

On the highest floor of Beacon Academy, a darker conversation was taking place.

“This tournament is compromised,” Lauriam stated darkly to the silver haired man in front of him, standing at the desk at the top of Beacon Tower. “For the sake of the citizens, you need to pull this tournament to an end. Now.”

Ozpin sighed as he stood up and walked over to the window, looking out over the city of Vale. It took a few moments before he responded to the statement by Lauriam. It was a recommendation most certainly, but there was anger driving it. There was a lot of anger Lauriam quietly noted as he tried to calm himself. He almost missed Ozpin’s quiet response.

“What would you have me do?” The headmaster murmured again. “I cannot just summon up the Vale Council and tell them what you have told me.”

“Why not?” Lauriam hissed, eyes narrowing at the back of the Headmaster’s green jacket.

“The proof is against you,” Ozpin replied, not looking back as the reply made Lauriam snarl furiously. “To the entirety of Remnant, Yang Xiao Long attacked a downed opponent after her victory had already been announced. As I’m sure you’ve already heard James has said; it has been put down to stress and adrenaline, and Miss Xiao Long has been disqualified.”

“She is too young!” the pink haired reaper snapped back, his voice becoming sharper. “She is too young to have the experience, the paranoia, to simply hallucinate a boy, who she was friendly with, betraying her and then attacking in response, and you know as well as I that Yang is not someone who attacks without being provoked.”

“That is enough Lauriam!”

Lauriam fell silent as Ozpin finally turned around to face him, expression both wary and tired. The Headmaster walked around his desk and past the pink haired reaper. He paused when he was beside Lauriam to place his hand on his shoulder.

“My hands are tied,” he said apologetically. “There is nothing I can do. If you must, find that proof you need, but until then, I cannot do anything.”

The reaper clenched his fist at his side as Ozpin stepped away and walked to the elevator, intent on going to meet someone. Nothing more was said between the two men. Little did they know, it would be the last time they would be able to meet together like this. Lauriam sighed and looked down at his hands, loosening from their fists.

“How do I protect you Ruby?”

◇◆◇◆◇

There was a queue to the Bullheads when Ruby got to them, and she went to join them, but to the side she spotted Velvet. The rabbit faunus was taking pictures it seemed. The young reaper walked over to her friend.

“Hey Velvet!” she greeted cheerfully, happy to see the second year. “What’cha doing?”

“Oh! Ruby!” the faunus jumped in surprise, smiling as she turned to face the younger girl. “I’m just working on my photography. Do you want to see?”

After her nod of affirmation, Ruby was shown a picture of… Sun’s weapon? The monkey faunus in the picture was only shown from his shoulders down. It was honestly amusing, seeing the great Sun Wukong with his head cut from the top of the picture. Ruby hummed awkwardly, not wanting to laugh at her friend’s skills.

“It’s… better?” she offered. Thankfully, Velvet smiled, but it quickly faded as the rabbit girl looked down.

“I’m sorry to hear about Yang,” Velvet murmured, putting her camera away. “Is she doing okay?”

Ruby’s own smile faded, as she gave a small summary of Yang’s current state. It was still… it still hurt, thinking about what had happened, and the outcome from it. It was still raw in Ruby’s mind. 

“It’s just awful what people are saying about her,” the faunus declared softly. “Yang is such a nice person. Hallucinations can happen to anyone, even experienced fighters. If it can happen to Coco, it can happen to anyone.”

“Coco?”

Ruby was confused, what did Coco have to do with this? Briefly Lauriam’s expression after Coco and Yatsuhashi’s fight with Emerald and Mercury flashed into her mind. A cold feeling gripped her heart. Something terrible was happening, she was even more certain about this now.

“Coco swore that she saw Yatsu with her in the forest before she was eliminated,” Velvet was saying. “But he never even made it out of the geyser field. Stress induced hallucinations apparently. That was the official diagnosis. Though… your dad, Lauriam, he came by and asked Coco a few questions. It was as if… he believed that Coco had actually seen Yatsu.”

The young reaper frowned. Lauriam had thought something was off, just from the fight between Team CFVY and Team CMEN? What was happening? And… why was it team CMEN in both instances? A flash interrupted her thoughts, making her jump in surprise. Velvet grinned apologetically, a smile which Ruby returned. Then, after waving goodbye, Ruby jumped onto the Bullhead headed for Amity.

It was a short ride really, and the young reaper had chosen to stand instead of sit, so when the airship had landed, she was able to get off quickly. The cheering in the stadium was loud, but there was an underlying feeling of discontent that filled the crowd. Ruby tried to ignore it though as she sat down. Smiling as she waited for the randomizer to choose the match, the teen scanned the crowd, picking out students she knew.

Sun was next to Team ARBN, and they seemed to be chatting. Neptune and the rest of team SSSN were on the other side of the stadium laughing together. Team JNPR, minus Pyrrha, were sitting together as well, and then Emerald was_

_ **Wait.** _

“Emerald?” Ruby asked quietly as she narrowed her eyes stared at the girl who was supposed to be on her way back to Mistral with Mercury. The young reaper stood up again. It was time to do some investigating. She slipped back to the entry walkway of the main stadium and entered a maintenance door off to the side. She wanted to confront Emerald, but wanted to do it away from the crowd.

That was until the door to a storage room opened and Mercury walked out. He was perfectly fine; it was like he hadn’t been hurt at all, and that realisation sent ice down Ruby’s spine. They were being played. The randomisation picked Penny, a fact announced and echoed through the halls.

“Mercury,” Ruby asked, uncertainly. “What are you doing?”

The grey haired boy ignored her in favour of listening to the randomisation process. He smirked when Pyrrha was chosen a few seconds after Penny. That was bad, why was that bad? Why was Mercury smirking? Ruby worked it out a few seconds before the teen in front of her spoke.

“… no!” she gasped.

“Oooh, polarity verses metal,” Mercury hissed with false concern, his amusement showing on his face. “That could be bad.”

Instinctively, Ruby’s hand fell to where Crescent Rose should be. But her weapon wasn’t there, and the corridor was devoid of anything that could be used as a weapon. Fruitlessly Ruby tried to summon Lauriam’s scythe to her hand, but she didn’t know how, even if she could, and her hand remained empty. She had no weapon, and Mercury was standing between her and getting to her friends.

_“Coco swore that she saw Yatsu with her in the forest before she was eliminated. But he never even made it out of the geyser field. Stress induced hallucinations apparently.”_

_“He attacked me! I know what I saw!”_

Not stress induced hallucinations – SEMBLANCE induced hallucinations! Mercury shifted his stance into one that was ready to fight. Panic rose in Ruby, she needed to get out of here, she couldn’t fight. She needed to get past Mercury Black. 

“Come’on Kiddo,” a distinctly male voice said from somewhere around, causing both Ruby and Mercury to look around. “All you have to do is get past your former friend here.”

Who was this voice and who was he talking to? There was no one there. That didn’t matter as Ruby took a step to one side, only for Mercury to follow her movement. The reaper stepped to the other side, and her eyes narrowed as Mercury stepped to block her path again. So that was how he wanted to play it? Fine by her. She activated her semblance and dashed past Mercury, only to find that he was kicking her from the air. 

Ruby tumbled backwards and looked around for anything that could help her against Mercury.

“Think ya can use this, Spitfire?” the voice asked and a weird looking gun, or was it a crossbow, dropped into her hands. It had several spikes that she assumed were the bolts. The voice was apparently on her side then. No time to question it, Ruby quickly pointed the new weapon at Mercury and pulled at what she hoped was the trigger. One of the spikes on this strange weapon disappeared as a bullet of energy flew at her grey haired assailant. She had five shots left now it seemed… but she also took note that this… arrowgun’s spiked ammo was sharp, and could be used as an up close weapon.

Mercury seemed to recover from the shock of Ruby gaining a weapon from what seemed to be thin air, quickly fired a few quick shots from his boots; dodged by Ruby who returned fire with two more shots from the arrowgun, before she found herself blocking a kick from her opponent. Three shots left.

The reaper lashed out and scored a lucky strike on Mercury’s shoulder, making the teen stumble back. Ruby forced him to roll away with two more shots. Just a single bolt left. That was all Ruby needed, as she once again activated her semblance and jumped past Mercury. Once she had landed near the corner of the corridor, Ruby fired the last shot, not caring what she hit.

“Good work, Spitfire,” the voice applauded lazily. “Now start running, ya have to get back to the arena, don’t’cha?”

“Don’t need to tell me twice,” Ruby agreed, already turning on her heel and running away. The weapon in her hand faded away into darkness, and Ruby wondered who had helped her. The voice didn’t speak again.

For all of Ruby’s speed though, she was too slow. She burst out into the arena, only to see a horrified Pyrrha staring at the pieces of Penny that were lying on the ground, the silent stadium bearing witness to the android girl that was the peak of Atlas discovery. Silence echoed louder than the earlier cheering. Penny Polendina was dead.

Ruby fell to her knees, tears forming in her eyes as her mind tried to process what she was seeing.

“Penny…” she whispered, before she started to sob quietly. A voice echoed over the intercom around the stadium, broadcast to the entirety of Remnant.

“This is not a tragedy…”

◇◆◇◆◇

_“This was NOT an accident. This is what happens when you hand over your trust, your safety, your children, to men who claim to be our guardians, but are, in reality, nothing more than men. Our Academies' Headmasters wield more power than most armies, and one was audacious enough to control both. They cling to this power in the name of peace, and yet, what do we have here? One nation's attempt at a synthetic army, mercilessly torn apart by another's star pupil. What need would Atlas have for a soldier disguised as an innocent little girl? I don't think the Grimm can tell the difference._

_And what, I ask you, is Ozpin teaching his students? First a dismemberment, now this? Huntsmen and Huntresses should carry themselves with honour and mercy, yet I have witnessed neither. Perhaps Ozpin felt as though defeating Atlas in the Tournament would help people forget his colossal failure to protect Vale when the Grimm invaded its streets. Or perhaps this was his message to the tyrannical dictator that has occupied an unsuspecting kingdom with armed forces. Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue as to who is right and who is wrong. But I know the existence of peace is fragile, and the leaders of our kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves._

_As someone who hails from Mistral, I can assure you the situation there is... equally undesirable. Our Kingdoms are on the brink of war, yet we, the citizens, are left in the dark. So I ask you: When the first shots are fired... who do you think you can trust?”_

◇◆◇◆◇

Lauriam did not hesitate this time as he used a Dark Corridor to teleport to Amity Colosseum. He got there just as the Grimm alert siren started wailing. He pushed against the fleeing crowd, focusing on finding Ruby. He saw her, on the ground, crying, oblivious to the chaos around her.

“Ruby…” he murmured, finally reaching her and kneeling beside her. Suddenly he found himself hugging his daughter as she sobbed into his chest.

“Dad_!”

The pink haired man’s eyes closed as he pulled her closer, his heart breaking for Ruby. She had finally called him dad, but it was prompted by the tragedy of her friend’s death. He hadn’t been able to find the proof that Ozpin had asked for, because the enemy had moved faster than he had anticipated. Above the stadium, a Nevermore bashed against the protective force field covering the arena.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just going to say that my uploads are going to happen on the weekend. Because sometimes I don't have time on Sunday but plenty of time on Saturday! And sometimes I'm finishing chapters on Saturday so I have time to read over them on Sunday. So yeah. Thanks, TalonScythe, for your insight, it was helpful.
> 
> I.... must sincerely apologise. I tried so very hard to save Penny, but nothing worked, nothing lead me to where I'm trying to take this story, and for this story to progress to the Kingdom Hearts arc, I need Beacon to fall. Yang's fight is the catalyst to the distrust, and Penny's death is the nudge to push the negativity over the edge. Cinder knew exactly what she was doing and she chose her catalysts with care.
> 
> Buuuut WE HAVE XIGBAR ON THE LOOSE!!!! What does he want? Why is he helping Ruby? What is his objective? >.> Do not trust this man. Then again.... would you rather trust an old acquaintance, or this new top man who's apparently looking for Lauriam? Was Xigbar telling the truth that Xehanort doesn't know about Ruby?
> 
> \- - - - -
> 
> _foreign code detected_  
No! It came back! Drat, what am I meant to do now...?  
_foreign code identified_  
What..... oh! You?! I must dissuade him! But how... oh! I know! My brother!  
**_loading file: Xigbar.EXE_**  
**_loading file: Lauriam.EXE_**  
That should keep him busy!


	15. Cinders and Ashes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Isn’t it interesting how the beasts of this World act so much like the Heartless, yet intrinsically they are both different?”

Pyrrha stared at the torn body of Penny, seeing the ripped cords that acted as nerves and veins and muscles, sending electricity, and program commands to the android, but all Pyrrha could see was Ruby’s friend, Penny Polendina. Up in the stands, she could hear Jaune yelling at her, but the sound was so far away. She stared down at Penny’s eyes, like a camera’s shutters, wide open, no longer imitating real eyes. The illusion was shattered, but still all Pyrrha could see was Penny.

Suddenly Jaune’s voice was closer, getting closer, but she didn’t have time to focus on what he was saying because she was suddenly knocked back by a Nevermore landing right in front of her. It was akin to staring death in the face, and Pyrrha didn’t move from it. The bird of darkness opened its beak and screeched at her, loudly, rearing up to strike her down, only to be stopped by a blur of red and a feral cry from the teenaged reaper that had just attacked it.

“LEAVE HER ALONE!”

Holding one of Penny’s swords, standing in front of Pyrrha protectively, glaring at the Nevermore with eyes which betrayed her crying, was Ruby Rose. Pyrrha was surprised, her mouth dropping open further when Lauriam appeared next to Ruby through a portal of darkness, Graceful Dahlia in hand. 

“Ruby…? Lauriam…?” she murmured, watching as Ruby shifted Penny’s sword to a more defensive stance when the Nevermore moved. The bird flapped its wings and started to fly around the stadium. It didn’t get far as multiple lockers crashed onto its back. Her friends’ weapons, the weapons of the students from other academies… they were all there. Everyone was smiling at her supportively. No one was glaring at her, staring judgementally.

Unfortunately the moment was interrupted by the Nevermore trying to get up again. But for the group of students, the Grimm really had no chance.

◇◆◇◆◇

Ruby knew she had no time to grieve, as she watched the Nevermore fade away. Something far more important than her grief was happening. Proper grieving would come later. For now she had to push that aside, no more tears until_

“Ruby…” the voice of Pyrrha made the girl look up, to see her friend’s face crumple. “I_ I am so sorry.”

The young reaper let a single tear roll down her face. She would allow that.

“I am too,” she murmured in response, before she wiped the tear away and walked up to Pyrrha, and pulling her to her feet. “But right now… I need my big sister to stand up and pick her weapons back up. Because Big-Sis Pyrrha is strong, and I know you feel guilty, but it wasn’t your fault. I… we need your help.”

Jaune walked up next to Ruby and handed Pyrrha Miló and Akoúo̱, his face was set in determination. The red head seemed to hesitate, not wanting to touch them.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Jaune said, echoing what Ruby had said. “That woman who was speaking, it was her fault, hers and anyone working for her. They are the ones at fault. So we need_ to make sure that we don’t lose anyone else.”

“Emerald and Mercury were helping her,” Ruby muttered under hear breath, catching the attention of both Lauriam and Pyrrha, though neither asked her to elaborate. Pyrrha finally took up her weapons, determination etching itself onto her face as well. She nodded. Ruby pulled her scroll from her pocket and quickly tapped in the coordinates for her own locker, which opened to reveal Crescent Rose.

“Let’s do this,” she said firmly as she ran to get her weapon. Lauriam cut down a gryphon that tried to stop her, his face set in a grim line. Taking up her weapon, Ruby turned to her friends, old and new, and nodded.

“Students.”

The voice of Professor Oobleck stopped the conversation that was about to happen, as everyone turned to face the usually fast talking teacher who had come into the arena with Professor Port on his tail. Ruby’s heart sunk, they were there to send them away.

“I am sure this day will go down in history books,” Oobleck continued as he looked at all the children in front of him. “I would prefer it, if my students were alive to tell the tale.”

He sent a significant look at Lauriam who nodded. Ruby’s father let his scythe disappear and he clapped his hands together. Ruby stood at attention for her dad, seeing his serious face. It was the expression that promised retribution if someone struck down those he was protecting. Everyone turned to face Lauriam as well. The stadium was silent a moment.

“It is time that we leave,” he said firmly. “Your professors are here, covering our retreat. We must cut our loses and move on. Amity is lost to us. What we do now is leave and help where it is needed. Which is not here.”

To most of these students, Lauriam was a stranger, who had been seen supporting Ruby and her team. Perhaps they knew who he was, but Ruby knew that they had every right to ignore her father. She was grateful that they all decided to listen to the man. With a sigh she followed after the students retreating after Lauriam placed his hand gently on her back. Ruby smiled up at her father as she went before tightening her grip on Crescent Rose. 

The mass group of students, ready for combat, encountered Ironwood who had just killed a Grimm. Something caught Ruby’s eye and she saw a Heartless forming out of the shadows. She left her friends to talk to the General as she unfolded her scythe to cut down the Heartless. Two more appeared as she cut down the first one. Ruby’s eyes widened and she took a step backwards. A hand landed on her shoulder and pulled her backwards. The young reaper whipped around to see Lauriam with a pale face behind her.

“Dad, Heartless are_”

She was cut off by the man shaking his head and pulling her to the Bullhead where the rest of the students were headed, a Bullhead that would take them to Beacon academy.

“Worry about the Heartless later,” Lauriam replied in a tight voice. “They are here for a reason and destroying these few here won’t cull their numbers.”

Ruby looked down and away. She could see now that she had caused her father to panic. She mumbled an apology and followed the man into the Bullhead. She stood near the window, staring outside. Lauriam hovered near her for a moment as if reassuring himself that she was okay, before he drifted over to Pyrrha to start talking to her quietly. Ruby was watching out the window next to Sun though. To her horror she witnessed the airship which General Ironwood had taken fall from the sky, burning.

“Who’s going to take back his main ship now?” Sun asked quietly, the horror that Ruby felt echoed in the monkey faunus’ voice. Ruby took a few steps back and exchanged a glance with her father. The conversation between the two reapers was seemingly short, but Ruby was silently begging her father to trust her to go, to be fine, while Lauriam was pleading with his daughter to stay put. Time seemed to freeze around Ruby as she stared at her dad.

_‘Please trust me, dad,’_ her heart begged. _‘I can do this. Let me show you I can do this.’_

A short, sharp, but unwilling nod had Ruby dashing off, ignoring Sun’s startled call, trying to stop her. As she jumped from the back of the Bullhead back to the stadium, she noticed that the Heartless were acting strangely, like they were trying to get to Beacon, and when they jumped from Amity Colosseum, they disappeared.

“Well, well,” the voice of the man who had helped her earlier spoke up, making her look around again. “I knew I liked ya for a reason. You’re very daring aren’t’cha, Spitfire? You headin’ to that big ol’ air ship up there? I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“I need to get up there!” Ruby spat out as she marched towards the stadium, deciding to ignore the Heartless. “Who are you anyway?”

“A friend.”

Ruby scoffed, before stopping as a dark portal opened up in front of her. Out stepped a man with black hair and grey streaks, pointed ears, an eyepatch over his right eye and a jagged scar under his left.

“The name’s Xigbar, but you, li’l Spitfire, can call me Luxu,” he introduced himself with a smirk. “Now, would you like a shortcut up to your flying ship?”

Glancing between the way to the main arena where all the lockers were, back towards the Bullhead she had just left, then up at the airship she was trying to get to, it only took three seconds for Ruby to accept with a sharp nod.

“For the record though,” the young reaper said as she turned back to Xigbar. “I don’t trust you.”

“Aww Ruby, I’m hurt!” the man before her said with feigned despair. “I gave you help and everything.”

The flat look that Ruby gave him turned his dramatics into an amused snort. He then burst into laughter as he gestured to the side, summoning a new portal of darkness. Ruby hesitated a moment before stepping into it and running through the darkness within to the other side.

“Your father said exactly the same thing,” Xigbar said behind her as she reached the apparent exit. “Don’t worry though. I’ve got way more important things to be doin’ then kidnapping the children of my former co-workers. Like keeping my boss happy. Tell ya what Spitfire; you impress me in this battle and I’ll give you a li’l gift.”

“What_?” Ruby started to ask, only to find that she was now standing on the top of Ironwood’s ship, and Xigbar was nowhere in sight. That little_ No time for frustration, Ruby started to run up the deck, only to be stopped by a loud roar. What was that?

◇◆◇◆◇

The moment Ruby looked at him; Lauriam knew he had a choice and one he had to make quickly. He wanted her to stay by his side, safe. He didn’t want her in danger. But, if what Xigbar had said was true, then Ruby being with him was even more dangerous. Xemnas, even this Xehanort person that the Freeshooter had mentioned, knowing about Ruby was a scenario that Lauriam wanted to avoid at all costs. He would sooner die then let Ruby be discovered by the Organisation. 

_“If you were forced to choose, would ya rather trust me or trust Xehanort.”_

Neither. Lauriam would trust neither, instead he would trust Ruby. Trust that his daughter would be safe, and then work to ensure that this Xehanort, wherever he was, did not find out who Ruby truly was. That was what had him nodding stiffly at Ruby, had him watching as she ran out the back of the transport they were on and jump over to the landing strip at the Colosseum, letting go just as quickly as he had grabbed her away from the Heartless.

“Why did you let her go?”

The voice drew his attention to Pyrrha, making him miss Xigbar’s appearance before Ruby. The red haired teen was looking up at him, her questioning look almost stabbing at his heart. The reaper sighed and looked out the window towards Beacon.

“Why do you ask?” he responded quietly. Pyrrha seemed to inspect him for a moment.

“Your nod was too stiff to actually be accepting,” she finally decided to say. “You don’t actually want her to go, but something made you accept what she wanted. Why did you let her go?”

There was a part of Lauriam that wanted to lie, deny that anything was wrong. That part of him was the voice of Marluxia, always smiling, nothing was wrong, it had to be just fine, the perfect mask. Another part of Lauriam screamed to snatch Ruby back, take back what he had let his daughter do. <strike>_Hadn’t he lost enough of his family?_</strike> He couldn’t lose his daughter. He didn’t know where that part of him came from; it was lost in fog, most likely from who he had been before Marluxia. The final part of him whispered to just tell Pyrrha the answer she was looking for. This part of him was from his time on Remnant. He had trained these children, taught them, gotten to know them. He could trust them.

“I knew when I first came here that the people I betrayed might find me,” Lauriam sighed, choosing to listen to the quietest part of himself. “I knew that Xemnas might try to bring me back, that any one of them may have discovered Ruby and used her against me. I cannot let that happen. Ruby is the only thing that I have left. The last person alive that is part of family, Summer is dead, I cannot remember my sister… I can’t lose Ruby too.”

“You only just got her back,” Pyrrha murmured in understanding, tilting her head in consideration. “Jaune and I can stand with you; maybe build the image that you’re one of our professors. Not too much of a step up from weapon instructor.”

Despite the situation, Lauriam let out a small laugh. Pyrrha smiled. The moment was interrupted by a roar however, but no one could see what made it. The trip back to Beacon was a short one, and the students very quickly fanned out and started dealing with the Grimm. True to her word, Pyrrha and her partner stuck with Lauriam for a few minutes. The trio exchanged glances when Heartless started showing up with the Grimm. 

“A strange question for you both,” Lauriam hummed quietly, cutting down one of the appearing Heartless, his back to the two students. “Where did you get your weapons?”

“All of us, except Jaune here, made our weapons,” Pyrrha responded, referring to both teams RWBY and JNPR. “Crocea Mors belonged to Jaune’s great grandfather.”

No time to respond, Lauriam jumped forward and spun Graceful Dahlia around him. Jaune got his weapon from his great grandfather? Then his weapon couldn’t be the Keyblade, according to the Organisation’s records, there were no traces of Keyblade wielders on this world. Then again, nor could any of the other student’s either. They had made their weapons from scratch. This mystery was doing his head in, so he pushed it aside. When he looked up, he saw Ozpin standing at Beacon’s entrance, looking at Pyrrha. The red haired warrior also noticed the headmaster. Lauriam watched as her expression shifted. She seemed hesitant. Pyrrha looked at Lauriam questioningly.

“If you wish to follow the headmaster,” he said, looking at her, before blocking a Grimm that jumped at him. “Go now and I’ll keep them off your back. If not, I’m sure that the Headmaster will understand. This is about protecting people.”

Something clicked in Lauriam’s head as Pyrrha and Jaune ran after Ozpin. Something bigger than he was aware, was going down. It was about protecting the people, and Pyrrha believed that following the Headmaster was protecting the people. He almost ran after the two, but White Fang soldiers and Grimm called him away. He at least hoped that the Headmaster would be able to keep Jaune and Pyrrha safe. Lauriam sighed and started towards the White Fang. Momentarily he glanced over to the rest of the students to find them dealing with one of the large Atleasian robots, a Paladin if he recalled correctly. Weiss was there but she had the rest of the students as back up, he had seen Blake run off to help a smaller group of students with Grimm. 

However he was once again interrupted by Heartless. Briefly anger flashed over his face, but then it turned into a cold smile.

“It would be advised to turn back to shadow,” he said to the little creatures before he dashed at them, intent on cutting them down. 

“Hey Marluxia!”

The voice accompanied by the Heartless being shot down had Lauriam turning his cold smile onto the Nobody who held up his arrowguns with a smirk.

“Oh don’t be like that, Xehanort told me to help you,” Xigbar snickered with amusement, aiming and shooting at the Heartless bouncing around. “Wants to make sure you’re still alive so he can talk to ya before you become a Nobody again. You are, after all, someone of importance in this here world now. Though I don’t know why we can’t just let ya be a casualty to this battle.”

“There would be no body left behind,” Lauriam snorted derisively, deciding to focus on attacking the Heartless. “Don’t pretend like it wasn’t you who convinced Xehanort. You’re too fixated on getting me to trust you to some extent and you want me to actually make a choice.”

“Well done!” the Nobody drawled, and Lauriam could once again hear him firing at Heartless, now joined by Grimm. “You are really getting on point Marluxia. I suppose I could just ask ya like a normal person.”

“Would you though?” Lauriam asked flatly. Nothing about Xigbar was normal. Another loud roar resounded over Vale. This time the pinkette reaper was able to whip around and his jaw dropped as he saw the giant dragon Grimm flying at Beacon. What was that thing?

“I would, if I had the time,” the Freeshooter replied flippantly. “Though as you can see, time just ain’t something we have. Surely I’ve proved myself to ya!”

A pained cry interrupted what was going to be Lauriam telling Xigbar to take his offer and shove it. He was moving before he had even registered what he was seeing. A faunus man standing over Blake, Yang rushing at this man who had clearly done something to the black haired girl beneath him. Watching this man cut off Yang’s arm though and Lauriam threw himself into yet another Corridor of Darkness, pushing away his apprehension. Whatever Xigbar had to say was not important.

A cold fury fell over him as he blocked the faunus man’s blade. In his mind he noticed that Blake had used her semblance, and the shadow clone of the cat faunus and the blonde faded away, but when the horned faunus tried to turn away, Lauriam didn’t let him.

“Who are you?” the reaper demanded in a frosted voice. The faunus, Lauriam identifying him as a bull faunus, made the smart decision of seeing the reaper as the bigger threat and turned to face his opponent.

“I am Adam Taurus, Leader of the White Fang,” he sneered at Lauriam. “I find it hard to believe you haven’t heard of me.”

“You are the fool who just cut off my niece’s arm and stabbed her friend,” the former Nobody replied, swinging Graceful Dahlia in a deadly arc, which was blocked by Taurus’ sword. “All I needed to know was who I was sending to the cold embrace of Kingdom Hearts.”

Lauriam did not allow Taurus to respond as drew his scythe around and started attacking the faunus without mercy. It was clear that while Taurus was confused, he wasn’t confused enough to be thrown. The furious reaper had more experience and magic on his side though. One particular slash of the pink scythe knocked Adam back and it was quickly followed up with a spell.

“Thundaga!”

The spell burst forth from Lauriam’s outstretched hand and struck lightning at the faunus. Unfortunately for the pinkette reaper, Taurus used the opportunity to retreat, his hand going to his ear as he barked out orders to the White Fang. Lauriam ran forward to cut off the faunus’ escape, but was stopped by Xigbar. The man had honestly forgotten that the Nobody was there and turned to face him as if expecting an attack, only to have shock cut through the fury in his mind as Xigbar merely pointed up.

A scream echoed from the top of the building and Lauriam knew who it was immediately. A wave of power seemed to shift everything before it was gone. The man knew he had to get up there. But first he shot a glare at the Nobody, who was looking at him with a smirk.

“Do not look to me for thanks,” Lauriam spat at Xigbar. “I do not and never will trust you.”

For one last time, darkness swallowed Lauriam, teleporting him to what was once Ozpin’s office, where he found Ruby, unconscious but alive, the dragon grim that had been flying around was frozen. There was traces of a fight, cogs thrown around, broken glass. On the ground near the worst of the chaos, was Pyrrha’s circlet, left lying on its side, as if a discarded trophy. Miló and Akoúo̱ were discarded off to the side too, as if Pyrrha had been disarmed during a fight. There were even hints of improvised weapons being made from mangled metal. Pyrrha’s polarity had been used to its fullest potential it seemed… however…

Where was Pyrrha? Or even her assailant?

Lauriam stumbled over to Ruby and picked her up into his arms, pulling her close to his chest. All he could do was focus on his daughter, and how he had failed to protect her once again. But there was another question that pierced through his mind. Where was Jaune? Hadn’t he been with Pyrrha and Ozpin? Pyrrha’s words from earlier came back to him as he glanced back around the room. Looking at the fallen xiphos and shield, Lauriam realised with a bitter feeling that he knew who had the Keyblade. 

_“Crocea Mors belonged to Jaune’s great grandfather.”_

The impossible was any of the students who had made their own weapons. Jaune had a Keyblade, not his own Keyblade, it was somebody else’s, his great grandfather’s. Once again, the Keyblade’s power failed when it mattered the most and wasn’t able to save someone who mattered. <strike>_What was the point of having a weapon of Light if Darkness came at you with the face of a friend?_</strike>

_Marluxia_ sneered as he picked up Miló and Akoúo̱, slinging them over his back. Lauriam nodded at Pyrrha’s circlet when Qrow managed to get up to the top of Beacon Tower with a Bullhead. The scruffy man with a broadsword nodded and picked it up before they both moved onto the airship which would take them to safety. Qrow surveyed the wreckage of Ozpin’s office one last time, before signalling the pilot of the Bullhead to take them back. Lauriam didn’t notice as he slid to the ground, back to the airship’s wall. He stared at the wall ahead blankly, not responding to Qrow as he tried to ask Lauriam questions. He did not respond as he held Ruby.

_ <strike>I failed again Strelitzia…</strike> _

◇◆◇◆◇

_Meanwhile elsewhere…_

Xigbar stepped out of a Corridor of Darkness, near a bald elder man wearing a dark coat over a white shirt. The Nobody seemed to inspect the man before he stepped forward, his boots clicking on the roof that they were standing on. The man was watching the scene before him with great interest, the Grimm and Heartless converging on the school of Beacon Academy.

“Isn’t it interesting how the beasts of this World act so much like the Heartless, yet intrinsically they are both different?” The old man rumbled in his scratchy voice. “The Heartless are searching for something, which is not here, it has never been here; only part of it has. The other beasts however feed off of the darkness and it is here that the darkness of human kind’s most raw and negative emotions is most apparent.”

“What’cha mean?” Xigbar asked quietly, stepping up beside the man. “Did you intend for this to happen?”

The older man laughed, his golden eyes shifting to meet Xigbar’s briefly before he looked back at the destruction being caused by the creatures below.

“No,” the man replied. “I do believe what is happening in the World currently would be what some attribute to fate. Tell me, how is Marluxia’s somebody? I trust you were able to do as instructed.”

Xigbar hummed, thinking about the last few minutes he had witnessed.

“Of his students there are only four of the eight left,” he replied. “And one of them is going to be out for a few days. One of his students was killed, one crippled, and two left this city in their own ways. You sure you want Marluxia back? He did betray Xemnas afterall.”

“Oh, I think he’ll find my offer most… beneficial. This world is driving itself into darkness; we have no use for it, and he has all but nothing left.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's to my longest chapter in this story! And here is Xigbar and Lauriam with a few words!
> 
> Xigbar: ANNNNNND Welcome back to the notes! Where Marluxia and I tell ya the who dun what!
> 
> Lauriam: Really, Xigbar? Must you?
> 
> Xigbar: Yes. If I am to be traded between two authors over a "pizza trial" of all things then I am going all out. Go big or go home Marluxia!
> 
> Lauriam: *sigh* Let's just... get to what we're being paid to do.... Read the notes Xigbar and don't forget any.
> 
> Xigbar: *smirks* If you insist. Lessee here, ah! Pyrrha's death! Unfortunately this death was unavoidable, it's too important to the story. Oooh triggers Spitfire's silver eye power? Well I definitely see that. Though looking through the notes for the next chapters_ *his mouth gets covered by Lauriam*
> 
> Lauriam: No spoilers. Arya, take your notes back.
> 
> Mmm Pyrrha's death also sets off Team RNJR/JNPR, disables Cinder for a bit, and makes sure to keep a large Grimm threat frozen when no one would have been able to deal with it. I unfortunately could not save Pyrrha, I knew that from the start. She gave Ruby and Co. time to get ready. I was forced to find a way to save her xiphos however - Miló needed to be whole, Miló and Akoúo̱ are important later. Thankfully Lauriam has been teaching his students to improvise. 
> 
> I had the opportunity to rid ourselves of our Adam problem right here. I almost did to, honestly. Almost had Xigbar shoot him, unfortunately, I decided that it is Blake's problem, and it's part of her character growth arc to finally defeat her past. FROM HERE ON OUT - We move into Volume 4/5 territory, but with MASSIVE changes. 1/ we have Lauriam. 2/We finally have our Keyblade revelation - kinda!
> 
> Lauriam has realised that Jaune has a Keyblade - but it's not Jaune's Keyblade. It's his great grandfather's, you know, that guy who fought in that War that Ozpin mentioned before Mountain Glenn! So, whether you guessed Jaune or not, we still have a Keyblade mystery on our hands. Jaune just has the Keyblade. Who's is it really?


	16. Master Xehanort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They needed each other more than ever now, but fate has other plans, and Autumn turns to Winter. May your heart be your guiding key.

The light of the Golden Hour sun filtered through Ruby’s curtains, hitting the girl’s face, bringing the young teen enough awareness to open her eyes. The first thing she saw was the ceiling of her room. She tried to sit up and winced as a headache made itself apparent, she groaned as pain flared.

“Ruby, you’re awake!”

Pushing her hand through her red tipped black hair, Ruby sat up, watching as Taiyang jumped out of the chair he had been dozing in. That was when she looked to the side and saw Lauriam on the other bed in the room, passed out, much like he had been the night that Taiyang had tricked him into drinking. Her eyes moved back to Taiyang.

“Bá…?” she asked quietly, in a groggy voice. “Wh_what happened?”

“Lauriam found you, unconscious, and he and Qrow brought you back safe,” Taiyang replied, glancing over to the man. “Though perhaps it is better to say that Qrow brought you and Lauriam back.”

“What’s wrong with dad?” Ruby inquired hesitantly. Her Bá looked back at her with a pained expression, closing his eyes as if remembering something.

“He… blames himself for not being able to protect you or Yang,” he murmured in response. “Drunk himself into a stupor last night. With how he’s been since you all got back, we haven’t been willing to wake him yet.”

“But what….” The young reaper’s voice trailed off as she recalled something. “Yang! Is Yang okay?!”

Taiyang sighed and didn’t answer straight away as he looked down. Fear gripped Ruby’s heart, had something bad happened? Was Yang in hospital? Was Yang not able to get out of Vale? Was Yang_?

“She’s… going to be okay,” the blonde man finally said, cutting off the panicked turn of Ruby’s thoughts. “She just needs to get used to this… to things again. We both know how strong your sister is, so she won’t let this stop her. I’m just… so glad my girls are home.”

The word “safe” hung awkwardly in the air, unsaid, but there, despite it being unfit to be there. Ruby clenched her hands around her blankets. So many questions were running through her head she didn’t even know where to start. She looked down and tried to grasp reality, how long had she been out?

“Wait! What about Beacon?” she gasped, looking up wildly. “Did they clear out the Grimm, is everyone okay?”

And so Taiyang was left to describe the state of the school to Ruby. How the Grimm were still there and everyone had been evacuated to different places around the city and were rebuilding the damage caused by the Grimm and the controlled Atlas soldiers. He recounted the fallen Cross Continental Transmit towers and how no one seemed to be able to get messages into or out of Vale. But one thing stood out to Ruby as her Bá spoke.

“What do you mean?” she interrupted, causing the man to look up. “You said I did a number on it, that dragon Grimm.”

The way that Taiyang retracted his hand told Ruby more than the man’s deflection of the topic. He didn’t want her to know. That hurt Ruby slightly; her Bá was trying to hide things from her again. Ruby looked down. That was when Qrow interrupted, asking for a minute to speak with Ruby alone. And though Taiyang left the room after kissing her forehead, something passed between her Bá and her Uncle, because while Ruby couldn’t see Taiyang’s expression, the look that Qrow shot at the man was challenging.

Once Taiyang had left, Qrow pulled over the chair which had been discarded and he sat in it, looking at Ruby.

“So, how are you feeling?” he asked casually, and Ruby could almost feel the attempt to get her to look up. The teen took the bait with a sigh.

“I feel like I was thrown from the cliff at Beacon for initiation but didn’t have a landing strategy so I smashed into the mountain,” was Ruby’s response, causing her Uncle to snort with amusement. He leaned forward in his chair.

“That’s not surprising considering what you did,” he hummed. Frustration flared up in Ruby, she wanted answers, not cryptic words about something she apparently did. What did she do? Why did it affect the Grimm? Just as she opened her mouth to demand answers, Qrow spoke again. A darker feeling coiled in her heart for a moment.

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

It took a moment for Ruby to recall. She had been running up the side of Beacon Tower with the help of Weiss’ glyphs. There were Grimm around but Jaune had begged them to save Pyrrha. 

“And then I got to the top of the tower and I saw_” Ruby’s voice cut off as she remembered. Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered Cinder shoot Pyrrha with a glass arrow just as she reached the top. “Pyrrha… no… she… Cinder made her fade to dust… and then everything went white, and…”

“I suppose Tai has told you that the Vale Council would have taken you away had he not been miraculously put on your birth certificate,” Qrow said calmly, his voice dragging Ruby’s mind back into focus. “It’s because you’re special Ruby; and not in the ‘daddy loves his special angel’ way. Silver eyes is an extremely rare trait, and one that in legends, is said to strike fear into the Grimm themselves. Oz told me the story, of how long, long ago, those with Silver Eyes were meant to lead the life of a warrior. The Council of Vale puts stock in that legend, enough that they want to ensure that these powers don’t fall into the wrong hands. As such, if Tai wasn’t listed as your father, you would have been taken.”

“Wait… you think_ THEY think that I…?” the young reaper asked hesitantly. Qrow sat back and stood up.

“Well, there’s one Grimm frozen at the top of Beacon, and you’re right here in front of me, safe.”

He walked over to the window and looked out at the falling leaves. Winter would set in within the next few weeks.

“I’m sure you saw it while the tournament was happening,” he hummed. “How things were feeling off. Your father saw it while he was observing, one of the reasons why Oz asked him to keep an eye out. Something has been set in motion and the Vytal Festival Tournament was the stepping stone that our enemies took. Ozpin is missing now, so it’s up to me to pick up where he left off.”

A few moments of silence passed between the pair and Ruby looked down at her hands, imagining first Magnhild, then Penny’s sword, Miló and Akoúo̱, Graceful Dahlia, and then finally Crescent Rose, clutched in her hands. Briefly she also recalled the arrowgun that Xigbar had lent her. Her eyes were special? She had some… power over the Grimm? Okay then, so how could she use it?

“What can I do?” she asked, determination filling her gaze, as she lifted her eyes to meet her Uncle’s. “How can I use this… silver eyes power to help people?”

Qrow straightened up and smirked at Ruby, as if he had anticipated her question. Maybe he had; after all, he had been around her for most of her life. Stepping away from the window he smiled slightly at Ruby.

“If you really want to help, you should rest up,” he replied, before shifting his gaze over to Lauriam, who was still passed out. “Help your dad too. He needs it, and will most likely follow you. Neither of you are in any condition to travel. You can’t follow the enemy’s trail anyway, it’s gone all the way to Mistral. Too far for a shrimp like you.”

He left with a wink leaving Ruby thinking on her bed; though it didn’t take long for her gaze to be drawn over to Lauriam who seemed to be having a fitful sleep. Her mind returned to the tragedy of the final round. She slipped from her bed and curled up beside her father, letting her tears finally spill over and silent sobs wracked her body. Lauriam’s arms wrapped around her weakly, the man having awoken when the young reaper had curled up beside him. Father and daughter found comfort in each other and stayed like that until they both fell asleep again.

◇◆◇◆◇

A few days later and Lauriam was walking though Patch, humouring Ruby as he held his Scroll in front of him which was currently connected in a call to his daughter as they tried to test the local short range distance for Scroll calls. There was a certain amount of apprehension in the pink haired man’s stance as he walked, and he was keeping his eyes open for any sign of Xigbar around the island town. He hadn’t seen any trace of the Nobody, but he knew it was only time until he saw the one eyed man again.

_“Hey Dad, do you think… Team JNPR is around..?”_ Ruby asked, suddenly, though her question was rather subdued. Lauriam hummed thoughtfully as he walked, his boots scuffing the ground at his feet. He knew for a fact that Ruby was missing her team, Blake having run off, Weiss gone back to Atlas and Yang refusing to talk to anyone. The former Nobody also knew that both teams, RWBY and JNPR had all been like a family to his daughter. 

“I was actually going to try find them,” Lauriam admitted as he worked. “They would probably want…”

He let his voice trail off, wincing a bit as Ruby’s silence came through the Scroll. He coughed slightly, looking up.

“However perhaps it would be better for you to look for them,” he continued in a somewhat tight voice. “I have to talk to your Uncle today, and I found something for Yang.”

_“Oh! I’m sure I can find them!”_ Ruby chirped, snatching up the new task quickly to push further away from the conversation of Pyrrha’s death, a conversation which neither father nor daughter were prepared to have yet. _“I think… Ren left a note with the house that they were going to be staying at for a few days. I’ll go check there.”_

The call connection made a fuzzy sound, to which Lauriam stopped walking. He had managed to make it to the edge of the island before that.

“Well,” he commented, gazing out at the beach. “We seem to be reaching the end of our distance, would you like me to keep walking, or shall we claim this is the edge of reliable communications?”

He could hear his daughter humming in thought before she decided to call it quits there, asking him where he was, and what his Scroll proclaimed was the coordinates of his position. Information was quickly relayed and the call was disconnected after an agreement to meet at the Xiao-Long-Rose house before Ruby left. He opened a Corridor of Darkness, despite his growing distaste for the portals.

Ruby huffed when he stepped out of the portal and he smiled. His daughter still believed it to be cheating. Perhaps it was.

“Did you really think I was going to walk?” he asked incredulously, but the look that Ruby gave him spoke to her understanding what he didn’t say. She appreciated his concern at least.

“I’ll take Crescent Rose with me, dad,” she promised. “Team JNPR’s stay house isn’t too far from here anyway. And Bá gave me permission to bring them here today. I was about to try call Jaune to see if they were within our reliable communication radius.”

“Don’t let me stop you,” Lauriam smiled wryly. “Is Qrow around still?”

Ruby jabbed her thumb over her shoulder to point at said man who was cutting onions in the kitchen. Taiyang was nowhere to be seen, though probably upstairs somewhere. The pink haired man had the feeling that there was a reason… despite that though, he entered the kitchen.

“You challenged me back at Beacon,” he hummed as he leaned against the wall. He could hear Ruby’s excited yelp, indicating that she had succeeding in getting in contact with Jaune. The rush of air announced her using her semblance to grab her scythe then dash out the door. Qrow paused in his task.

“Did I?” he asked, before he hummed and put down the knife. “That I did. So, you worked it out did’ja?”

“Jaune has the Keyblade,” Lauriam replied softly. “From what he has said, that Keyblade belonged to his great grandfather. That… still doesn’t explain why it has remained as Crocea Mors this whole time… But, I eliminated the impossible.”

“And you were left with the improbable truth,” Qrow commented. “Alright then, tell me about the Keyblade. What is it? How does it work?”

The former Nobody was silent for a few moments before he pinned Qrow with a serious stare.

“To explain that, I first need to know what you know about other Worlds.”

That was clearly not what the scruffy man was expecting.

◇◆◇◆◇

Ruby ran through Patch, scroll pressed to her ear as she spoke with Jaune over a connection that she had just tested with her dad. She hadn’t called her fellow team leader out of fear that it may not work, and even when she had finally dialled him, she still sat there apprehensively waiting, praying that Jaune would pick up. When he did, things started going right again.

“You are still at the address that Ren left, right?” Ruby asked as she ran through the village on Patch that surrounded the airstrip. 

_“We are, Nora is watching the window for you,”_ Jaune replied to Ruby’s delight. _“And she says that she sees you and wants you to look up to your left.”_

The young reaper did as instructed and waved when she saw the hammer wielder in the window of the building beside her. Both leaders hung up now that they had found each other and Ruby quickly dashed into the building, to be met by Ren. Happy to see her friend, the red-tipped black haired girl pulled him into a hug, gasping slightly, confirming that she wasn’t dreaming and this was real. Ren lead her to the room where the remaining members of team JNPR were staying.

“I’m sorry!” was the first thing that came out of her mouth once the door had closed. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save Pyrrha!”

Ren and Nora exchanged a glance before they looked at Jaune who sighed, rubbing the back of his head. The blonde walked forward and pulled Ruby into a hug, then guided her over to the couch to sit her down.

“No one blames you Ruby,” he said. “We are so glad that you came back safe.”

A new set of arms wrapped around Ruby, Nora was hugging her now as well. Ren’s hand came to rest comfortingly on her head and for once, the young reaper was glad to be made feel like a kid. A small sob escaped her.

“Pyrrha would have wanted our little sister safe,” Nora whispered, seriously for once, her voice sounding like she herself was on the verge of tears. “And so here we are, hugging her. We aren’t going to pretend that we are alright, but we will do all we can to move forward. Our Beacon family is a little broken right now, so little sister, what’s the plan?”

“You ask that like I have one,” Ruby mumbled. Suddenly the orange haired girl was in front of her, holding the reaper’s hands. “Of course you have a plan, or you will have one! It was one of the things you told Jaune while you ran over here!”

Nora was trying to lessen the tension in the room and it was working, if only slightly. Yes, Ruby had told Jaune that she had an idea while she was running though Patch. She was considering something dangerous, and she wanted the help of her friends, because Team RWBY was separated now. And so Ruby explained what she had seen on top of Beacon tower again, explained what Qrow had told her, about where Cinder was heading, and she finally explained her idea, to go to Mistral. When she had finished, her three friends were silent, though, Nora seemed to look at both boys.

“We’ll go with you Ruby.”

That affirmation had Ruby smiling with relief. They started to plan as they walked back to Ruby’s house. It wasn’t a complicated plan, Ruby already knew what she had to do, but they had to plan a time to get away, for the four knew that Taiyang wouldn’t agree to Ruby leaving. The blonde man greeted Jaune, Nora and Ren when they entered the house and sat them down in the living room. The quartet of friends all waved to Lauriam as he walked by, and he smiled back before leaving the house. Taiyang walked upstairs to try and fail at coaxing Yang out of her room.

◇◆◇◆◇

Lauriam had been going to talk to Yang, but he wasn’t going to be allowed to it seemed. Out the window he had seen Xigbar. This time, he didn’t waste time as he summoned Graceful Dahlia and headed to where he had seen the Nobody. Xigbar was in the forest surrounding the house and he was grinning from ear to ear. Cocking his arrowguns at Lauriam, the black haired man walked forward.

“You really know how to make my job hard, don’t’cha?” Xigbar asked, even as he dodged the first swing of Lauriam’s scythe. “I’m goin’ out on a limb to help ya and you almost screw it up.”

Unfortunately for the Nobody, Lauriam wasn’t in a talking mood. The look of fury was enough to get Xigbar to shrug, pull up his hood, and then start fighting. The scythe in the pinkette man’s hands swung in arcs aiming to destroy the Nobody he was fighting, but Xigbar kept warping behind him. It was only his training from his days during the Organisation, the missions and spars conducted with Xigbar, which saved Lauriam from being shot from behind by the Freeshooter.

Unfortunately it was Lauriam’s fury that became his downfall. So focused was his rage upon Xigbar, the reaper failed to notice that he was being lead deeper into the forest, and he failed to notice the dark portal that opened up to reveal an old man with a Keyblade in hand. He didn’t notice until he was knocked down from behind, explosion of fire scorching him.

“Marluxia, I have been eager to meet you properly.”

Lauriam looked up and saw the old man, realising that this… this man had to be Xehanort. As he tried to push himself up Lauriam inspected the man. He had darker skin, a white beard on his chin, and he wore a black cloak with a white shirt underneath. Most shocking however, was this man’s _golden eyes_, the same shade as Xigbar’s.

“I am Master Xehanort,” the man introduced himself with a smirk as Lauriam resummoned Graceful Dahlia and held it in front of himself defensively. “I’ve come to offer you a spot in my new Organisation, to become one of the thirteen darknesses that will oppose the seven lights.”

“How about no?” the reaper snapped, before freezing when he heard Ruby’s voice echoing through the trees.

“Dad..!”

In Xigbar’s defence, his eyes did widen under his hood in response to the voice. _Well_, Lauriam though as he forced himself to not respond to Ruby. _Xigbar’s plan, whatever it was, didn’t go the way it was meant to._ Unfortunately for the older reaper, Xehanort had seen the way Lauriam had stiffened. A smirk drew over his face. Lauriam paled.

“Did that little girl just refer to you as her father?” he asked, eyes glinting with malice. “Why Marluxia, I am surprised.”

◇◆◇◆◇

Ruby made the unfortunate decision at that moment to burst from the trees, pausing when she saw her father with his scythe pointed at an old man who was holding a weird sword. There was another person in a black cloak there, hood pulled up; maybe it was that Xigbar guy? But then again, Marluxia in her mother’s drawings also wore a black cloak. Though the black cloak man had Xigbar’s arrowguns, so it had to be Xigbar… Who was fighting who?

“Ruby, run,” her father commanded her hoarsely. The young reaper took a step back, her eyes widening. Then she turned on her heel and fled in the opposite direction with her semblance leaving petals behind. If her father was telling her to run, then she should run. She didn’t get far though as a blast of wind knocked her off her feet, out of her flurry of rose petals, and threw her into a tree with enough force to leave her sufficiently winded.

Footsteps told her that someone was near, but her body hurt too much to move. The cold steel soon pressing against her back told her that it was the old man.

“NO!”

The desperate cry of her father forced her to move her head to try and see him. What she witnessed was him dropping his scythe, Graceful Dahlia disappearing in a flurry of cherry blossom petals. Her father seemed to look between Xigbar and the old man. Lauriam’s defeated glare focused on the old man.

“Fine, I’ll go with you,” he sighed, his gaze shifting to Ruby. “Just leave Ruby be… please… I’ll join your damned Organisation!”

Her father was begging. Tears pricked in Ruby’s eyes, her father was begging, for her! The cold metal of the strange weapon was lifted off her back and the old man who had it walked towards her father. His back was to her, so Ruby couldn’t see this man’s expression, but something told her it was a smirk. Suddenly the man stabbed her father in the chest, creating a strange light.

“Dad no!” Ruby screamed. The man looked back at her, smirk still on his face. He seemed to say something while waving the hand that wasn’t holding his weapon. The young reaper’s eyes felt heavy and her consciousness drifted away. Despair wrapped itself around her before it found a spark, which started burning. Her father was gone, again, because of this Organisation, once again. Fury ignited.

When she woke up again, it was because she heard someone huff as they sat down near her. No one else was around; her father and that old man were nowhere to be seen.

“Wakey-wake Spitfire,” the voice of Xigbar said cheerfully. “Can’t stay asleep for too long, else your friends will start to get worried.”

Ruby’s fist clenched as she forced herself up into a semi-seated position, supported by her arms. She took a few breaths to centre herself again before turning her head up to glare at the Freeshooter.

“What do you want?” she asked rudely, her eyes narrowing as Xigbar grinned, his eye meeting her silver glare. He held up his hands, showing he was unarmed, though, after seeing her father summon Graceful Dahlia so many times, she knew better to think that Xigbar wouldn’t be able to call his arrowguns just as quickly.

“I did tell you that I would give you a gift if you impressed me,” he smirked. “But after what you just witnessed, I think I should give you a bit more. How about first; I give ya some reassurance that your dad ain’t dead?”

“What, you gonna ask me for ransom?” the girl with black hair snorted. By now she was well past grief. Penny was dead, Pyrrha was dead, and now her father was apparently taken by a creepy old dude with a weird weapon. Grief was gone and replaced with anger. Xigbar snorted back, his amusement clear, even as he took something from some pocket or pouch and placed it on her head.

“Nope, can’t do that,” he replied, his voice irritatingly cheerful once again. “But I did make a promise to your dad. Not too sure how well it can be kept now. Wear this, it should keep you safe for a bit.”

Ruby raised her hand and took off whatever Xigbar had placed on her head. It was a mask. A crudely made fox mask that was made out of some kind of metal, it had the look of painted platinum, blue detailed designs embossed on the surface, and golden eyes that seemed like it would make the wearer blind, but was actually a see through mesh.

“You remind me of an old friend,” Xigbar said, standing up as Ruby looked at the mask. “Her name was Ava, wore a mask just like that one. I did my best to replicate it, but obviously I don’t have my Master’s skill. You look after that now. I’ll come calling later.”

Without another word he disappeared into a Corridor of Darkness.

“I still don’t trust you!” Ruby called out to thin air, growling. “Idiot. What kind of gift is this? What is his plan anyway? Why bother with any of this, isn’t he working with that old guy?”

With a screech of frustration, Ruby threw herself onto her back onto the grassy floor of the forest, fox mask in one hand. She lay there for a minute, staring up at the trees, trying and failing to discover where and when her cascading grief had turned into rage. She pushed herself onto unsteady feet, and then stared at the mask she held in her hands. 

“Luxu…” she murmured, testing the word on her tongue. Wasn’t that what Xigbar had told her to call him? With a scoff she placed the mask over her face; it wasn’t a perfect fit, a bit too big for her currently. Rolling her eyes, Ruby stumbled out of the forest, meeting Jaune, Nora and Ren on her way out, her friends having gone looking for her when she didn’t return when she said she would.

Once they got back to the Xiao-Long house, Ruby told them what had happened, her face impassive to hide the anger, letting her Bá think it was shock. She shared a look with Jaune. When the remnants of team JNPR left, Ruby went up to her room and started backing a backpack which she hid from her Bá. She took a picture of Marluxia from her wall and stared at it before stuffing it into her bag as well. Her dad would come back. He had already escaped the Organisation once, he could do it again. Ruby decided to focus her anger on Cinder. 

Against the side of her bed, Ruby saw Miló and Akoúo̱ and she picked them up, holding them in her hands, feeling an energy coming off of them. With great care, the young reaper secured the xiphos and shield into her bag, intending on giving them back to Jaune. Pyrrha… she would be with them on this journey.

Autumn turned to winter. The morning after first snow, while the sun was still rising, Ruby put on the fox mask which she had left on her bedside table for the past month, ensured that her mother’s journal was hanging off her belt as it had been for weeks now, left a note for Taiyang, an apology and an explanation, before sneaking out of the house, where Jaune, Nora and Ren were waiting for her. It was a long way to Mistral.

_May your heart be your guiding key._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Xigbar: ARYA LIED!!! THIS IS HER LONGEST CHAPTER!!! Oh wait, that wasn't intentional, I watched her write it and panic as she kept adding to it to make sure that it sounded natural. Sorry, just me here, well speaking. Marluxia is kinda too busy glaring at me, and Arya is stressing out over assignments and confusion over what week it is for her Uni. So here are her notes for this chapter!
> 
> Umm so now Lauriam has become Marluxia again... that would be three tragedies for Ruby three chapters in a row now. Opps? Grief theory! Ruby's angry now! But, she can't get off Remnant, so she's gonna focus her anger on Cinder. Ruby also has a fox mask now. Thus ends the Remnant arc, herein for the next three chapters is our transition into the next arc. Volume 4 is here! Don't expect too much script following, because next chapter, there is a surprise for everyone!
> 
> \- - - - -
> 
> Ha! Did that actually work? Great! I'll just restore the fanfic now...  
_error_  
Uggggh don't do this to me now!! What is this error?


	17. To Mistral

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When hunting, expect the unexpected, and never trust that what you see is the full situation.

“Ruby, you know that’s not funny!”

Jaune’s voice rang out across the clearing where team RNJR, or JNRR if one listened to Nora, had set up camp, and contrary to the blonde’s words, Nora and Ruby were laughing without refrain. An empty bucket lay next to Jaune, discarded by Ruby, and he was now drenched in water. This was the tone that set the day as the group continued on their journey.

It had been three months since the quartet had started their journey, and about two months since they had gotten to Anima. They had just yesterday accepted a job at a village that wasn’t marked on their map, and now the group was on the trail of a geist. It was going rather well, all things considered, but they still hadn’t found the Grimm. Plus Heartless seemed to be rampant here as well. That was worrying, mainly for the fact that Lauriam wasn’t there, they had only been on one mission with him that was specifically hunting for Heartless, and now they seemed to be encountering more.

“Nora, did you manage to mark out an approximate area for our Grimm?” Ruby asked, after she calmed down from her laughter. There was scarce little to laugh at these days, and so the four friends took what enjoyment they could. Jaune smiled slightly and walked over to Ren who was poking their fire, so that he could dry off. He wasn’t really annoyed at the younger girl, in fact he was glad to hear her laugh.

“I think we should plan to encounter Heartless along with this geist,” Ren said quietly as he glanced at the two girls who were talking over the map. Jaune looked at him, his blue eyes sharpening slightly with attention.

“I agree,” the blonde hummed. “We’ve been encountering more, and they’ve been stronger too. I don’t know if Ruby has noticed.”

“Nora has,” Ren responded, picking up his sleeping bag and rolling it up neatly. “But it hasn’t worried her. I think Ruby has too, but I think she just hasn’t bothered commenting on it.”

“You’ve seen the close calls though.”

The black haired teen nodded. He and Jaune exchanged a glance before looking back over to the girls. They both looked so serious as they sat over the map. Ruby gasped and pointed at something.

“I’ve got it!” she exclaimed, making Jaune stand and walk over. “Jaune, do you see that cliff? What if we trapped it there?”

As she spoke, Ruby pointed at the map within the circle of charcoal which Nora had drawn on. Jaune spotted the cliff Ruby had asked about and he thought about it, before shaking his head. He sat on the ground next to the girls and pressed his finger to the map, to a clearing that he could see. He looked seriously at the reaper girl and contemplated his response for a moment before he spoke. He was about to invoke her father’s name after all.

“The last time we were backed up against a cliff,” he said in his ‘strategist’s voice’, as Nora called it. “We were faced with a threat we weren’t prepared for, Lauriam was with us, and during that fight I noted that the Heartless we fought was aware of the terrain. Admittedly so were we; but there were ten of us there that day, and we were able to distract the lizard whenever it backed us against the wall. Right now, we are four people, only three of us with weapons, and we need to be able to surround this Grimm without having to worry about the cliff.”

Ruby looked away, her eyes narrowing slightly at the reminder of their Heartless mission in Forever Fall. As the former members of team JNPR had discovered while travelling with Ruby, the young reaper met reminders of Lauriam with anger at the situation she was in. Her father had been taken and she was powerless to do anything about it. In their first week on Anima, that had led to Grimm being drawn to them, as Ruby lashed out at the beasts, but as they moved further inland more of Ruby’s cheerful persona returned.

“What dust do you have Ruby?” Jaune asked, continuing the strategy to bring Ruby back to the plan, and off of her father. Thankfully that worked, as Ruby started to do inventory on her dust rounds, calling out the elements as she found them. The list grew as she searched her pouch, and Jaune’s face broke into a smile.

“Nora, how do you feel about being a cannonball?” he asked once Ruby had finished. Both girls exchanged a look, smiles slowly forming on their faces. The orange haired girl then nodded to Jaune, consenting to the other unasked question. Relief filled the blonde as once again his friends showed that they trusted his judgement. With a nod he glanced back at Ren. The two boys exchanged a glance.

“Right then, Ruby,” Jaune continued, his blue gaze shifting back to the reaper. “You’re the fastest out of us, so you need to draw the Grimm to this clearing, where we will meet you. It is likely that the Grimm will be able to keep up with you as a geist.”

“Unless it’s possessed something,” Ruby snorted with a smirk. She picked up her scythe which was currently folded up and pulled her hood up over her head. On her belt she hung that fox mask she had apparently found in the forest near her home. She never did explain how she had gotten it, and her three friends never asked. They recognised it as her story to tell.

“I’ll pack your stuff up, Ruby,” Nora offered, when the reaper crouched to begin said task. Ruby smiled then saluted dramatically before dissolving into a flurry of rose petals which sped into the forest. When she was gone, Nora looked at Jaune and Ren seriously.

“So what’s the plan for the Heartless?”

◇◆◇◆◇

Unaware that her friends were thinking up another plan, Ruby dashed though the forest as a flurry of rose petals, jumping from tree to tree as she hunted the Grimm. She paused in the branches of a tree a fair distance from her friends’ camp, scanning the area and keeping her ears open. There was little that she could hear, so she needed to move on, the geist wasn’t in this area. The same was to be said about the next place she stopped. Her third stop however…

“Hey Spitfire!”

Ruby scowled, looking down and seeing Xigbar grinning up at her. 

“Kinda busy right now, Luxu,” the reaper dismissed, using the name he had told her to use. She missed his smirk when she looked back up, scanning the area. Unsurprisingly to her, Xigbar teleported up to the branch just over head. Ruby tried to ignore him.

“Now now,” he said with a condescending tone. “Your Grimm will come this way soon.”

“How do you even know that?” Ruby snorted derisively. She went to jump down from the tree when Xigbar reached out and stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

“I’ve been a hunter of the forest longer than you’ve been alive,” he hummed. “_Watching_ is my job afterall, and for all my watching, I can’t help but have noticed that you haven’t been wearing my gift. Do you not like it?”

For a moment, Ruby considered not answering, and just dashing away, but somehow she suspected that wouldn’t help. So she sat herself back and folded her scythe, before she glanced up at Xigbar. Rolling her eyes she brought her scope up to her eye and started watching.

“I’m currently hunting a Grimm,” she replied in a flat voice. “The mask is too big. Of course I’m not wearing it. To wear it while hunting it would need to actually fit my face and not fall off.”

“What if I gave you the real one?”

That made Ruby freeze. She did remember that Xigbar had mentioned that the one she was given was only a replica that he had made. He… had his friend’s mask on him this whole time? Why was he offering it to her? Who even was this Ava? She opened her mouth to open these questions as she turned to face Xigbar, only to freeze again when he rather carefully slipped cold metal over her face. Whatever this mask was… it fit, it fit extremely well at that, and it was strange.

“There, I knew that one would fit ya,” Xigbar smirked. “I purposely made my replica bigger, gives you some growing room and all that. Ava would be pleased to see you wear hers though…”

Ruby’s mouth went dry, her heart twisting with sorrow. She turned back to her scope and once again set her task to scanning for the geist. She was silent for a few moments, once again missing Xigbar smirk in victory. The topic of the mask was dropped with relative ease.

“Why are you here anyway?” Ruby asked quietly, her ears pricked to listen for the Grimm. Leaves rustled above to indicate that Xigbar had shifted on his branch. “I doubt this is a social call. You don’t do ‘social calls’.”

“As if,” Xigbar snorted with amusement. “I actually came to you with a warning. Xemnas knows you exist now. I kept my promise; unfortunately, Xehanort was oh so very amused by you that he had to share his amusement. So I’d recommend that ya keep that mask on ya face.”

Ruby went pale, turning her head quickly to face the eye-patched Nobody. He nodded, an expression of defeat plastered on his face. Xigbar raised his arms and shrugged.

“Yup, that’s right,” he continued. “He’s looking for you now. Ya really shouldn’t have come looking for your dad that night. You’d have made my job far easier. But what can’ya do? Oh look, there’s your Grimm!”

Startled out of her fear, Ruby looked up to see the geist. All she needed to do was get it to follow her now… easy enough. Briefly, the reaper glanced at Xigbar and wondered if she’d be able to rope him into helping her. Good thing about the mask, the Nobody couldn’t see her glance. She jumped down from the tree, deciding that Xigbar was done, she didn’t trust him anyway.

“Well, good luck Spitfire!” the Nobody called casually. “I have to go talk to ya dad now. Have fun!”

He fired a shot at the geist, making it turn, and by the time the Grimm had pinpointed where the shot had come from, Xigbar had already gone. Frustration boiled up in Ruby; just who did Xigbar think he was anyway?! Unfortunately there was no time to dwell on frustration. There was now a geist on her tail and she needed to lead it. Firing a few shots of her own, Ruby ran backwards, watching the geist chase her. Looking around, she jumped up onto a nearby rock pile to get a better vantage point. She had to stay in the sights of this geist, be its biggest threat… while being the shortest member of the team.

Once the geist got closer, Ruby jumped off the rocks and continued to run. That was… she would have run, if the rumbling sound of rock against rock hadn’t made her freeze and look back. Instead of seeing the rock pile she had just been standing on, instead of seeing the geist, Ruby saw a giant stone golem, a Petra Gigas, something that she had only heard about in Professor Port’s stories.

Swearing loudly, the reaper fired at the Grimm again. Now it had long strides to catch her. All she could do was run and fire shots at the Grimm to keep it focused on her.

“Luxu, I’m going to kill you!” she growled out, her frustration finally boiling over. To be entirely fair, it wasn’t Xigbar’s fault in a way, he had only done what Ruby was going to do. If she concentrated, she could hear the Nobody’s laughter. Or was she just imagining it. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by a misstep. A well disguised branch tripped her up, sending her sprawling onto the forest floor, Crescent Rose flying ahead of her a few steps. It was when she was pushing herself up when she heard it. A distorted voice called out from the bushes.

“Ru…. by…. … must… protect Ru… by…”

The young reaper had no time to check out the voice though as the shaking of the ground reminded her that the geist was still chasing her. Ruby snatched up Crescent Rose and ran off, continuing her task of leading the Grimm.

◇◆◇◆◇

“Huh… I wondered when you’d show up. Took you long enough… Lauriam. I do have to wonder which ‘her’ you remember though. Which Ruby do you see? Or is there too much darkness in your heart? As if. You wouldn’t be here if you were mindless. Well, have fun!”

◇◆◇◆◇

A shot echoed around the clearing where team RNJR, or JNRR, had just defeated the Petra Gigas. Ruby’s sniped bullet hit its mark and the job was done. Or would have been, had a circle of Heartless not jumped out of darkness and surrounded the quartet. Jaune hissed in frustration as he went to raise his shield, but remembered that he didn’t have it. He was left with his only option, to back up. The rest of the team did so as well, and they were standing back to back now. Letting go of Crescent Rose with one hand, Ruby reached back and tapped Jaune’s wrist. 

A question.

The responding nudge from Jaune’s heel sent the quartet into this new fight. They had no names for these Heartless, but they looked like flying green pots, like the red pots they had fought back in Forever Fall, but noticeably stronger. Quite a deal noticeably even. These Heartless seemed to use wind abilities, which occasionally knocked one of the four teens off their feet.

“We need a better strategy!” Ren called out as he dodged to the side. “We’re being scattered here!”

“Give me a moment!” Jaune called back. He spun around and avoided a Heartless that came up behind him. It spun backwards in surprise before flying at Ruby. The reaper unfolded her scythe and destroyed the creature.

“These things are going to exhaust us before we can beat them,” the blonde noted with stress. “Ruby, is there any powder dust in your belt pouch?”

“Nope, we used that up a week ago!”

Jaune cursed. “Nora, you’re able to withstand most of these attacks, try to keep them off Ruby and Ren. Ren, you and Ruby need to head to the trees again, distract them.”

“No Jaune, this plan is dumb!” Ruby protested, only for Jaune to hold up his hand.

“Trust me Ruby.”

A moment after Ruby dashed with Ren as directed. Jaune found himself back to back with Nora.

“So, what’s the plan, leader?” the orange haired girl asked, her voice low with her serious tone. Jaune’s blue eyes shifted back to the hammer wielder as he seemed to consider what he was about to say. The Heartless floated around, preparing more spells. Was there one less? Jaune didn’t know.

“Keep them together,” Jaune replied. “We need to round them up. I’m the bait.”

“Ruby is right, this is dumb,” Nora stated, before a grin spread over her face. “I like it.”

She ran forward swinging her hammer, while Jaune was left to work out how to keep the Heartless focused on him. That task wasn’t too difficult though, as the Heartless seemed to pick him out as the weakest of the pair, since he had no weapon, so they chose him as a target. Funny how that happens.

Thankfully, his vaguely communicated plan was pulled off as in a fiery whirlwind of dust created by Ren and Ruby’s combined dust bullets destroyed the rest of the Heartless. The two ranged fighters jumped down from their trees and walked out to meet their friends. Jaune let out a sigh of relief, before his head snapped in Ruby’s direction.

“Ruby look out!” He called, watching as that Heartless that he had noticed as missing before suddenly appeared behind the reaper. What happened next was seared into Jaune’s memory for the next few months, because as Ruby spun around no chance of pulling her weapon up to defend in time, despite her speed, out of the bushes burst another Heartless, different from the pots, closer to the Shadows that Lauriam had shown them in Forever Fall.

“MUST PROTECT RUBY!!” It screeched in a hauntingly familiar voice, throwing itself at the green pot shaped Heartless, clawing at it with red clawed gloves, before the pot was also destroyed. This new Heartless wore little stripy pants, a funny but creepy jester hood thing and it had red thorned rope wrapped around its body. As if to emphasize what it had screamed, this weird new Heartless went over to Ruby and stared at her. Hesitantly, the young reaper held out her hand to it, her silver eyes wide.

“… Dad?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: Today I learned WHY I ALWAYS post at midday... "the publication date can't be set in the future" -_- Right. Sorry for deleting the chapter and reposting - I am a stickler for correct dates, and that correct date for me is the 16th, not the 15th. It keeps it easier to understand instead of my brain dying with confusion.
> 
> It is such a relief to finally finish this chapter. I needed to work on something other than assignments for once... sorry for being gone longer than normal!
> 
> We have a Heartless!!! And it may or may not be Lauriam!!!! (Who am I kidding, it's totally Lauriam) Surprise!! I was going to make him a li'l cute shadow, like my profile picture! BUT - even if Lauriam doesn't remember, he was and is still a Keyblade wielder, even if he can't summon his Keyblade currently. Therefore, by the laws of the Heartless, he became a Darkling. Union χ rules run rampant here! We can't stop them.
> 
> Xigbar: You know what else is running rampant!? Union χ updates! Have you seen the latest? Spooklitzia! Maybe she'll come back! As if! Hahahaha
> 
> Marluxia: *glares at Xigbar* Another thing running rampant is how you keep showing up in this fanfic. What do you even want with Ruby?
> 
> Xigbar: Wouldn't you like to know? You really need to eavesdrop on Arya more. She already laid out her plan to multiple friends as she tried to perfect it. Ya do know what's happening in like... two chapters time now, don'tcha? That look on your face says no! Oh man, this is priceless! Keep typing Arya, horrify him!
> 
> Uhhhhhhh right.... anyway! Did you know that volume 4 is only 12 episodes long?? And only a fifth of that screen-time is actually Ruby! Next chapter is going to span THREE episodes. Technically four if you count the episode that is all about Blake and nothing to do with Ruby.... even technically five if you count the end of the episode that I'm starting it on, buuuuut I'm not. Only eight of twelve episodes even have substantial inclusion of RNJR. ANYWHO!
> 
> Next chapter - Oniyuri, and an important discussion happens
> 
> \- - - - -
> 
> "̶̩Ā̴̟m̷͈̆u̴̞s̸͔̅ĩ̶̳n̵͇͆g̴̢͂ ̴̺̕ť̸̖ṛ̷͊ỉ̴̖c̷̗̚k̷̠͠ ̴͚̔y̶̻̿ŏ̴̲u̵̙̓ ̴̦̀ų̷̕s̸̢͒e̶̮̊d̶̟̓ ̵̳̽t̶̯̚h̵̢̾e̵̼̓r̶̖̆e̴̯̅ ̶͖̓g̷̗̈i̵͍̎r̷̨̅l̵̥̉,̸̠͛ ̷̯I̷͚̿ ̷̮͠ṯ̸̾r̷̬͘u̷̩̐l̷̺͆y̶̞͂ ̴̭̂e̸̻̓ṉ̷̈j̵̞͊o̴̬͑ỳ̵̗e̸͔͂d̶͔̈́ ̵̺̽i̵̢t̸̩̍,̸̖͊ ̵̦̔p̸̠̍l̶̻͌e̸̥̒ä̸͓š̸̗e̴̬͆,̸͍̓ ̵̳͂k̶̮ë̵̫́ë̸͔́p̴̗̏ ̴̧̑t̸͎͌r̸̙̉y̵̙̎i̵̗͝n̵̦͂g̶̼̈́.̷̨͗ ̷̖̉Y̵͔̐ǫ̵̛ű̴̯ ̴̖̒r̴̞̉e̸̺̅p̶̞͠r̷͔͝e̴̠͛s̵͇͌ȅ̶̖n̶̦̈́t̷̹̒ ̸̻͠t̶͔͆h̸͎̀e̸̛͚ ̸̺͑L̷̘̉i̸̖̊g̵̟͠h̷͔͗t̴̻̎ ̵͇̈́o̶̤̓f̵͇͗ ̶̮͝ẗ̴͙́h̵͉͛į̴͛s̷͚̀ ̸̣͒s̶̭̚t̷͔̓o̴̱̎r̴͔͒y̷̠̎,̶̘͘ ̵͊ͅt̶̮̃h̸̺e̴̠͋ṋ̶̌ ̴̦̒I̶̦ ̴̮͗s̴̻͌ŭ̵̹p̸̘͒p̸̈ͅŏ̸̯s̶̳̾ė̵̲ ̷͖̎I̷͍͌ ̷̩̓a̵̘̎m̸̞͑ ̶̻̎t̵͈̂h̵̜e̷͗ͅ ̸̜͝D̸͕̂a̷̳͘r̴̳̈k̸̝̕n̸̟̿e̸͜s̸̖s̴̙̄?̵̻̎ ̶̧͝W̴̰͒o̶̯͒n̴̹̓d̴̲̄ȅ̴͚r̴͕̚f̴̥̌ú̸͚l̴̖͌,̶̳̽ ̸͚͂Ĩ̴̧ ̷̯͝h̵̬̒a̴̭̅v̷̌ͅẹ̶̕ ̵̛͈a̷̍ͅḻ̸̄w̶̞̒a̴̦̎y̷̢s̶͚̈́ ̶̲͌w̵͔̔á̶͔n̶̮͆t̷̞̑e̷̱̅d̴̛̥ ̵̰̈́ẗ̸̤́o̸͔͑ ̷̭͐b̵̲́e̶̝͘ ̶̮͊ţ̷͂h̸͕̔e̸͇̚ ̷̅ͅd̸̹͑a̶̗̐ȓ̸̯k̶̠̇!̶͕̑"̶̖̈ 


	18. Starlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad luck charms have a way of finding you in the worst possible time. Oniyuri was a haven of bad luck, and what could be worse luck then finding out your goal was larger than you thought it was?

The inn room was silent, Nora was sleeping on the other bed in the room, Ren and Jaune were sharing another room, and Ruby was wide awake, sitting by the window. In her hands she held the fox mask Xigbar had given her, and on her lap was her mother’s journal, open to the pages on Heartless. It was a full three weeks since they had left the village that had been hired them to deal with the Geist and in that time they had encountered the village Shion, destroyed and with no survivors. There was that one man who they had found, but he had died just after they had found him. Mistral had been a mix of emotions that Ruby hadn’t been prepared for.

But most importantly, they had found her father’s Heartless. Ruby knew it was her father’s Heartless, because the small creature had reacted to her, its voice, while warped, was still his, and when it spoke clearly, Ruby’s heart hurt more than when her father had been taken. This was why Ruby was sitting by the window, staring at the book in her lap as she gripped the mask in her hands, fingers tracing over embossed blue details idly. She had tried to find something about her dad’s Heartless in her mum’s journal, but there was nothing, absolutely nothing. Her mind had drifted back to that day.

_“MUST PROTECT RUBY!”_

_The Heartless that jumped out to protect Ruby screeched out the same words Ruby had heard in the bushes while being chased by the geist. She knew straight away that this creature was her dad’s Heartless. Which meant that, without a doubt, Marluxia was with the Organisation again. Why else would Xigbar mention that he was going to see her father, if only to taunt her? The Heartless in front of her proved that Xigbar had, at least in that moment, been telling the truth. Her trust in the eye patched Nobody grew slightly._

_When Ruby had called out to the Heartless however, it had come closer to her for a few steps before looking at Jaune and running off. Lauriam’s Heartless had very specifically looked at Jaune before running away. That had confused Ruby._

Since that day, Team RNJR had only encountered Lauriam’s Heartless a handful of times. It was the only Heartless of its kind around though, so they always knew it was Lauriam. Sighing, the young reaper dragged her gaze from the page up to the mask in her hands. The replica mask that Xigbar had given her the day that old man came was truly amateur in make in comparison to the apparently real mask.

Arms suddenly wrapped around Ruby’s shoulders from behind, startling the girl into looking up, just and Nora’s head came to rest on her shoulder.

“What’cha thinking about, li’l sis?” The orange haired girl asked, not as loudly as Ruby was expecting, and far more comfortingly then the reaper thought possible for anyone. Silver eyes shifted to the side. The silence dragged out as Ruby tried to organise her thoughts, and Nora waited patiently.

“Just… my dad,” Ruby replied quietly. Nora’s hand came up to run through the young reaper’s red tipped black hair, a gesture that made Ruby start to shake. The orange haired teen quietly picked up the journal and then guided Ruby to her bed and sat down beside her, pulling her into her arms. Nora didn’t comment on the way Ruby pressed into her side, nor did she comment on how the reaper’s tears started to soak through her shirt. Once Ruby seemed to calm down, Nora gently took the mask that the girl was gripping tightly in her hands and set it aside atop the book before she pushed back to lean against the wall that the bed was beside and she pushed Ruby down so that the young reaper’s head was in her lap.

“Sleep little sister,” she murmured when Ruby tried to protest. “You need it; we have a long journey to continue tomorrow.”

Nora didn’t let Ruby protest further, not that the tired teen could. Ruby never noticed that Nora stayed up for the rest of the night, nor did she notice in the morning when Ren made the team an unfortunately rare breakfast pancakes and Nora didn’t eat them all.

◇◆◇◆◇

Something had changed between Nora and Ruby. Jaune noted that as they walked. Actually, it was more a change in Ruby, something that the blonde had been noticing more and more; ever since they had set foot in Anima. Ruby was treating them more like family, she was telling them more and more of her own secrets. Just a few nights after they left the inn and the village, Ruby had told them about Xigbar.

It was just last night that Ren had pulled Jaune aside and confessed his concern for this Xigbar. The blonde knight didn’t know what to think. He saw his friend’s concern. For all that Ruby vehemently denied trusting this man, it was clear that her denial was slowly weakening. The young reaper was very slowly beginning to trust a man who had no clear motives and had indirectly admitted to knowing the man who had taken Lauriam. That was enough to set Jaune on edge, Ren as well. 

Nora was a bit of an enigma in this, as she seemed to have stepped up to fill in the hole left by Yang when the team had left Patch. As a consequence; suddenly there was information that Ruby shared with the hammer wielder only. Nora didn’t seem worried about this Xigbar at all. Nothing the blonde leader said could get his teammate to tell him anything about his fellow leader.

_“If it’s a mistake then let Ruby make her own mistakes,”_ Nora had said to him when he had asked. _“Ruby doesn’t need us to stop her from making mistakes, but to help pick her up when she falls. Maybe Xigbar seeks to hurt Ruby, or hurt Lauriam through Ruby, or even hurt Ruby through Lauriam, we don’t know. What we do know is that Xigbar gave Ruby a warning, and no matter the source, it isn’t one to ignore.”_

Jaune hadn’t known what to think, and Ren had just lifted his hands as if to say ‘let it go for now’. That was a few days ago, Ren had approached him last night. The black haired teen had shared his concerns that Xigbar was trying to lure Ruby away.

Jaune had pointed out that Xigbar only seemed to appear when Ruby was already away, so why wasn’t he taking her.

Right now however they were walking along the path, the map was in Ruby’s hands and she and Nora were talking together cheerfully. Now wasn’t the time for concerns. Jaune sighed quietly before trying to focus on what the two girls were saying; “trying” being the key word in that sentence, because, just a few moments after being dragged from his thoughts, Nora pointed ahead with a gasp.

“Look!” she said, her eyes narrowing as she tried to get a better look at the buildings behind the walls they had just come across. Ruby looked back at the map.

“Wait, this village isn’t marked on this map…” the young reaper murmured, before her eyes widened.

“Are those buildings… damaged?” Nora’s voice asked. The quartet exchanged glances before running into the village, Ruby stashing the map quickly into her belt. The town, when they entered, wasn’t damaged it looked more… incomplete. Jaune found himself running over to one of the buildings, there were planks stacked up.

“See anything?” he heard Ruby call. Nora responded with a negative. The blonde knight put a hand to his chin and tried to think.

“Was this town’s construction abandoned?” he asked out loud. He watched as Nora walked over to an over grown sign. The rest of team RNJR joined her as she brushed the overgrowth aside, and revealed the sign that said ‘Oniyuri’. It wasn’t a name that any of them recognised, and it wasn’t on the map. This town was a complete mystery, and Jaune was about to suggest they look for more clues until Ren spoke up.

Ren knew this town; he called it ‘Mistral’s Mountain Glen.’ That wasn’t a comforting thought. The blonde knight swallowed and then looked around the town. Now that Ren had explained it, it was actually obvious that this was indeed an abandoned construction, not a damaged town, though without the context to it, it could have just been repairs that had been left. With a sigh, Jaune turned back to the team, about to suggest that they move on before Ren held out his hand, stance alert and on guard.

Without hesitation everyone drew their weapons. Something was off about the atmosphere now. The sound of the forest fell away as birds stopped singing. There was the swift sound of running footsteps on a nearby but not enough time to fully pinpoint where it was coming from before a man in a leather trench coat dropped in front of the quartet, pausing only briefly before he rushed forward to attack.

He knocked Ren out of the way before dashing at Ruby. In fact, he seemed to focus on the young reaper, his attack on her not relenting until Jaune and Nora worked together into throwing him through a building. Or would have, had he not somehow caught himself. The man stared down at them mockingly. Jaune’s eyes narrowed.

“We aren’t looking for a fight!” he snapped as he shifted his shield to a more defensive position. Beside him, Ren aimed his guns at the man.

“Who are you?!” The ninja demanded. Their assailant started laughing before he dropped from where he had been with his legs keeping himself propped up to the ground in front of the team. He did a bit of a dramatic straightening before he looked at everyone again.

“Who I am matter’s not to you, or you,” he said, pointing first to Nora, then at Ren. He paused a bit when he looked at Jaune, making the blonde take a step backwards. “Well, you do interest me, but no, who I am only matters to… you.”

He ended his little speech by pointing at Ruby. The young reaper was both stunned and confused, taking her left hand off her scythe to point at herself. Jaune felt as if a bucket of ice was thrown down his back. He didn’t like this situation at all and he suddenly wished to hide Ruby away from this man.

“Me?”

◇◆◇◆◇

The man started to laugh maniacally, causing Ruby to tighten her grip on Crescent Rose, drawing it closer to her side, ready to swing it if this creepy man tried to attack again.

“What do you want?” the young reaper asked dangerously, trying to channel her father, remembering how he sometimes reacted. Ruby hoped that her expression looked as cold and terrifying as Lauriam’s had the day that Penny had delivered that letter to him. This creepy man seemed to draw back slightly.

“My, my, so the Rose has thorns?” He mocked, making Ruby’s eyes narrow further. This man knew her name, and was attacking them to get to her. This situation had descended into dangerous territory. “I am here to whisk you away!”

Ruby’s mouth went dry, and it clearly wasn’t a feeling she was alone in as Nora stepped in front of her. Jaune and Ren did as well. A burst of warmth spread through Ruby’s chest, as she was reminded that she wasn’t alone; Team RNJR was her family and they weren’t letting anyone take her. The man smirked and didn’t hesitate a moment longer before he rushed forward to resume the fight. Jaune blocked with his shield, when the man jumped at him, but Ruby lost track of the fight after that, this man moved too fast!

It didn’t take long for Ruby to find an opening though, and she took it with both hands as she fired a round of lightning dust at the man. A smirk played across the young reaper’s face, as the creepy man laughed, thinking it was over, as Nora used her Semblance to speed over behind the man as he turned. However, when the man blocked Nora’s attack with a scorpion tail of all things, Ruby knew that everything had become incredibly difficult.

This man… to the four half-trained hunters he was practically undefeatable. He knocked them aside like dolls. Ruby’s eyes widened as this man kicked her across the stone, and she surprised herself by silently asking for Xigbar’s help. Surprisingly she didn’t need the eye-patched Nobody to answer her, for it was her Uncle’s broadsword which blocked the stinging tail of the Faunus. 

“Uncle Qrow!” she gasped in relief.

“Hey,” the scruffy haired man replied softly.

◇◆◇◆◇

Qrow Branwen had come to their rescue, but the victory in chasing off the scorpion Faunus was soured by the fact that their rescuer had gotten hurt. Qrow had also answered their questions. The answers he had provided weren’t the answers they wanted to hear. There was a woman after Ruby, the four teens were clearly out of their depth, and now that they knew, they couldn’t turn their eyes away. Jaune thought the conversation was over, really, Qrow seemed like he thought so too, but then Ruby spoke up, her tone of voice a stressed out hysterical amusement.

“So Salem is after me because of my eyes, and Xemnas is after me because of who my dad is?” she asked, her silver eyes widening as if realisation has just struck her. “And I have to decide who is more dangerous because neither knows who the other is…?”

“Which brings me to the topic Lauriam asked me to not talk about…” Qrow sighed, shifting, quite clearly in pain, gaining the attention of the teens once again. He seemed to consider them all before he brought his hand up to rub his face. Jaune blinked in surprise when the man’s eyes then focused on him.

“Salem can never be allowed to work out what I am about to tell the four of you,” he said seriously, so seriously in fact, that Jaune felt any anger from earlier fade away. “Ruby, I’m sure you already know this, you and Lauriam spoke a lot I know, and he likely told you some stories about your mother, and you have Summer’s journal. However, Remnant is only one world out of many different worlds. Heartless don’t originate from our world, they came here, seeking to devour the World’s Heart. But they also came here because of your weapon, Jaune.”

Silence fell over the camp, a quieter silence than even the knowledge of Maidens and Relics had caused. Confusion flooded through Jaune’s mind. Crocea Mors was attracting the Heartless? How? Why? The blonde opened his mouth, in unison with the rest of his team, only to stop, questions dying on his lips, when Qrow held up his hand, asking for the teens to let him speak.

“Crocea Mors is a Keyblade, hidden under a masterful disguise which leaves it as a sword and shield.”

No one knew what to say. Qrow sighed again and looked at the quartet of friends seated around the fire. He seemed to consider his words before speaking again. 

“I cannot tell you anything about your weapon other than what Lauriam told me,” he continued quietly. “And even then, that wasn’t much at all. You said your weapon was your great grandfather’s, so therefore your great grandfather was a Keyblade wielder. The Keyblade, it’s the only thing that can truly defeat the Heartless, or so Lauriam said.”

The silence echoed loudly around the camp for a few moments, before a scurried rustle of leaves broke the silence, followed by a Heartless screech. At this point, it was almost automatic how Ruby turned, and soon found her arms full of Lauriam’s Heartless. The Heartless placed his claws on Ruby’s face and seemed to inspect the girl. Qrow seemed slightly shocked, but didn’t comment.

“Dad, I’m fine,” Ruby murmured quietly, but she didn’t stop the Heartless from inspecting her for injury. Other Heartless may have been darkness amplified, but Lauriam’s Heartless was somehow his protectiveness taken to the extreme. Once he had seemingly assured himself that Ruby was alright, the Heartless seemed to relax, if Heartless could relax.

“You have anything to add to this conversation?” Qrow asked blandly, and Jaune wondered what the extent of this Heartless’ conversational skills was. Yellow eyes looked around as if judging the group, before Lauriam’s eyes landed on Crocea Mors. There was a change in the Heartless’ demeanour.

“Ephemer! Ephemer! Ephemer!”

Lauriam’s Heartless seemed somewhere between fearful and excited as it ran to inspect the weapons that were sitting off to the side. Jaune was about to speak, shock making him move slower, but the Heartless wasn’t finished speaking yet.

“Starlight…. Ephemer’s Starlight!”

“Ephemer?” He asked with wide eyes. “As in Ephemer Arc? How do you know my great grandfather’s name, Lauriam? You’re… too young to have known my grandfather.”

There was no answer from Lauriam’s Heartless, other than a tip of his hooded head, glowing golden eyes giving nothing away. No expression could be conveyed from the Heartless. With no more answers and no more questions that could be answered, the group went to bed, and unlike the previous encounters with him, Lauriam’s Heartless curled up beside Ruby and fell asleep.

When they woke in the morning however, the consequences of fighting a scorpion Faunus came to haunt them. Qrow had been poisoned, and no one understood why Lauriam’s Heartless kept repeating “esuna” over and over. It was a long road to Mistral, so close to the end, yet now made even longer.

◇◆◇◆◇

_I hope to be just as amazed at Luxia’s magic in fifty years’ time as I am now. It’s a miracle worker, just like my silver eyes, maybe more than the power of my eyes. We ran into a pack of Heartless wolves today, and I was hurt, but he was able to heal me with just a word. He said ‘Cura’ and it was like a cool breeze. I was grilling him about other spells as we sat up in one of the trees above our current camp. He assured me that he could save me from whatever a Heartless could throw at me with just a single spell he called ‘Esuna’. I swear he’s gotten sappier in the past three weeks…._

__

\- Summer Rose’s Journal, Personal Entries

__

__  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Xigbar: ...... Arya, we need to have a talk.
> 
> Marluxia: ...... Kingdom Hearts forfend, I agree with Xigbar.
> 
> Okay... BUT HEAR ME OUT! Jaune looks like a blonde Ephemer. Waaaaay back when I was typing chapter six, when my boyfriend and I were discussing who out of the two teams should get the Keyblade, we were going through the process of elimination that Lauriam went through in chapters 13 and 15. I forget who actually posed the suggestion, we realized that Jaune's great grandfather could have been, and for my story to work, probably was, a Dandelion, but eventually it was asked "what if Ephemer was Jaune's great grandfather? Jaune has the same fluffy hair that Ephemer has."
> 
> I wonder if anyone has noticed the MASSIVE timeline disparity yet...? Afterall.... the Organisation only existed for about 10-11 years before Sora defeated them.... Marluxia wasn't there for the whole 10 years, he's number 11, he joined closer to Roxas joining.... this fanfic started sometime just after Chain of Memories, and yet Ruby is fifteen..... Not to mention that Sora was asleep for a full year, woke up, did all the Kingdom Hearts games from CoM up to KH3, but less than a year has passed on Remnant.... only two and a half months passed before the Fall of Beacon......
> 
> \- - - - -
> 
> … What did he delete!?! No! I won’t allow him!  
_loading story backup_  
ERROR  
**data file: Bloody_Sakura_Rose.stry corrupted**  
How..? How did he…? OH! I was stupid and left the backdoor!


	19. The Superior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Either compounding bad luck, or a string of bad decisions lead to this point, and after a point there is no turning back.

Lauriam’s Heartless was a welcome addition to the party, his red claws were effective against both creatures of Grimm that showed up and other Heartless that decided to try and attack. It was especially helpful now that team RNJR was hurrying to Mistral. Ruby let her hands clench around the wood of the makeshift stretcher they had made and were carrying her Uncle on. They should have guessed that the wound was poisoned; that Faunus, Tyrian or whatever he had introduced himself as, was a scorpion!

They were now trying to move as fast as they could to Mistral. They couldn’t stop now, there was no time to stop now, Qrow was dying. Ruby tried to pretend that she wasn’t panicking. The looks she kept getting from Ren, Nora and Jaune were telling her that she wasn’t succeeding. It didn’t help that Lauriam’s Heartless kept saying “esuna”. Right now the Heartless of her father was sitting on top of her backpack, where she had hastily stuffed her sleeping bag and fox mask. Up ahead was a sign at a break in the path, one way pointing towards Mistral and another name that Ruby didn’t recognise.

“Guys, I don’t know if all of us will make that climb.”

Jaune’s words, in response to Ren mentioning that the path to Mistral heading over the mountains, made Ruby’s heart falter. She and Jaune had lowered their makeshift stretcher to the ground, and after briefly looking back to her Uncle, fear beginning to creep under her skin, she ran towards the signs, looking at it, before pointing at the sign in the opposite direction.

“Well what about this place?” she asked, her voice desperate. “Kuroyuri! We can try there_!”

“That village was destroyed years ago,” Ren interrupted dismissively, almost… angrily. Ruby took a step back, eyes wide. The Heartless on her shoulder almost seemed to be snarling. Nora was trying to look anywhere but at Ruby and Ren, leaving only Jaune to look at.

“But if it takes us around the mountain then it’s the best bet we’ve got,” Jaune tried to reason.

“It will take too long,” the ninja themed fighter rebuked, making Ruby’s heart sink further. Was the group truly going to be held up due to an argument now, when they needed to find a solution quickly? 

“Maybe there was a doctor there, where we can find suppli_” the young reaper started to say only to be cut off by Ren again.

“We aren’t going to find anything, we just have to press on!” he snapped. Ruby’s hands flew to her mouth, her heart clenching painfully in her chest. Her friend was so against this, why? Her uncle was dying, unable to fight with them; their strength was now basically halved because Ruby and Jaune were carrying the man. The young reaper couldn’t believe her ears.

But the pain in her chest became worse when Nora stepped forward and suggested that they split up. Something was screaming in her instincts; this was a bad idea, they should stay together, if they split now, everything that could go bad would. Nora couldn’t be suggesting this. But she was, and her argument was clearly speaking more to a past trauma then Ruby knew, but the reddish-black haired teen could sense it. Ruby was about to reach out her hand, to try and make the futile attempt to divert this idea, but the wretched coughing of Qrow called their attention.

As Jaune hugged Ren, Nora placed her hands on Ruby’s shoulders and looked her in the eye. No words were exchanged between the two girls. There was a promise to stay safe and that they would see each other on the other side. Lauriam’s Heartless made a small wailing sound, he didn’t like this idea either, but the group now had no choice. It was a plan that they all agreed to, no matter how unwillingly. Nora petted the creature’s hooded head before turning to Jaune.

“Take care of each other,” Jaune told them, making Nora smile at Ren.

“We always do.”

And that was how they parted ways, Ren and Nora running towards the mountains, trying to make it to Mistral before their friends, while Ruby and Jaune picked up the stretcher and continued walking down the path to Kuroyuri. Now it was just the knight and the reaper, protected by a small Heartless who kept screaming out ‘esuna’ with increasing insistency. The road to Mistral was becoming more perilous.

◇◆◇◆◇

They had already walked a fair distance through the forest, but this Kuroyuri still wasn’t anywhere in the distance. Thankfully the path wasn’t that hard to follow, despite the obvious lack of signs of care or recent travel. It made Ruby slightly less apprehensive, though only slightly, she was still tense, and she still wanted to run back and keep Ren and Nora with them. The insistent screaming of Lauriam’s Heartless was getting annoying too.

“Can’t you just be quiet!?!” Ruby finally snapped, stress getting the best of her. “You may be Dad’s Heartless, but you’re certainly nothing like him!”

“ESUNA!” the Heartless screeched again. Ruby’s hands clenched around the stretcher and she was about to scream when Jaune’s voice interrupted her. The pair stopped walking.

“Wait Ruby, I think we should try listen to him,” the blonde teen said. “Let’s rest here a moment. Something has been bothering me about Lauriam here.”

With a frustrated huff, Ruby agreed and they set Qrow down again. It was a relief to rest, her uncle was getting heavy. They needed to remain strong to bear him to Mistral. Lauriam’s Heartless hopped onto the ground and started bouncing in front of the two teens, and Ruby was honestly confused.

“Esuna! Esuna! Esuna!!” the creature kept screeching. Sighing, Ruby looked at Jaune.

“So what is your idea?” she asked with a flat expression.

“When he speaks, it’s almost childlike,” Jaune started seriously, and the Heartless stopped moving and screeching, sensing that this was an important conversation. “However, unlike a child, he is actually trying to tell us something of use, not just saying nonsense. He proved this when he responded to Qrow last night, and when he said my grandfather’s name. I am lead to believe that Starlight was the name of Crocea Mors when it was a Keyblade.”

“Wait, you actually believe that?” Ruby interrupted, gaining a look from Jaune, reminding her that they were still running on a time limit. She apologized quietly.

“Yes, I am inclined to,” the knight sighed. “Just as I am inclined to believe that ‘esuna’ means something. Lauriam started screeching it after we discovered that your uncle was poisoned after all. So, Lauriam; is esuna related to poison somehow?”

With the question directed at the creature, both teens looked to Lauriam’s Heartless who started jumping again, saying the word over and over again. Jaune held up his hands and the creature stopped, glowing yellow eyes staring up at the blonde. The knight was silent as he thought of his next question.

“What does it do?” he asked, Ruby’s eyes shifted over to him, and she wondered why he asked that. The Heartless waved its hands chanting esuna again. The young reaper wanted to rub her hand down her face, but then an idea flashed through her head. She almost hesitated to ask the question.

“Dad,” she started, making the Heartless pause to look at her with a tilted head. “Is… is esuna… a spell?”

Jaune looked at her, he seemed to realise what she was asking. Miraculously, the Heartless nodded furiously, hood bouncing slightly, before it started jumping around again. Ruby’s eyes widened, before she grabbed the Heartless’ claws and stared right at it, silver eyes meeting glowing yellow.

“Does esuna cure poison?”

The answering cheered screech of ‘esuna’ had Ruby letting go of her father’s Heartless and turning to her Uncle. She had no idea what she was doing, but the only thought in her head was that she needed to try. It was in that moment that Ruby realised she should have taken the chance to learn spells from her father when it was possible. A moment of hesitation gripped her, but then she sighed.

“If it fails, I’ll try,” Jaune murmured, beside her. “If that fails, we press forward, we can’t do anymore.”

“Right,” Ruby agreed, before she raised her hands, unsure of what would happen. _“Esuna!”_

On baited breath, Ruby waited, but nothing happened. Biting his lip, Jaune, raised his own hands only to stop when he noticed that Lauriam’s Heartless was staring at him. Not explaining his pause to Ruby, he took his sword from its sheath and pointed it at Qrow.

“Esuna!” he called, before Ruby could protest. There was a faint glow that surrounded the sword tip for a moment before it faded away. He tried again and the glow returned, but it once again disappeared. There was no change with Qrow. Neither teen was skilled enough, neither teen knew enough, to be able to cast the spell Lauriam’s Heartless was telling them to. The Heartless seemed to deflate, recognising the failed idea.

“Thanks anyway,” Jaune murmured, before he touched Ruby’s shoulder. The girl’s shoulders sagged momentarily before she straightened, determination burning in her silver eyes.

“We tried, and that is the most important thing,” she said. “Let’s keep going. It’s all we can do now.”

The pair picked Qrow up again, Lauriam’s Heartless now perching on Jaune’s shoulder. They had to keep going. Neither of them noticed as they walked over a Grimm footprint, the pair was now solely focused on getting to and through Kuroyuri.

◇◆◇◆◇

The village of Kuroyuri was more a small town, but it was most certainly destroyed. There were no distinguishable buildings in sight. The pair left Qrow under the dead tree that was in the middle of the town and ran off to try and find anything that looked like a doctor’s practice, a pharmacy or anything of the like. There was nothing of the sort around. 

“Luxu, where are you when I need you?” Ruby asked under her breath, for once wishing that the Nobody’s irritating voice would show up all of a sudden with the solution that she needed. Even the imaginary image of Xigbar stayed stubbornly missing. With nothing to show for her efforts, Ruby went back to Jaune, who came from the opposite direction. Having confirmed that the blonde hadn’t found anything of use, the pair made their way back to Qrow. There was nothing they could do here.

“Esuna…” Ruby murmured, trying and once again failing to get the spell to work, staring sadly at her Uncle. A sudden sound made the two teens whip around. It was a strange and horrible scream. The young reaper shivered, even as Jaune and Lauriam’s Heartless stood as sentinels in front of her and Qrow. She suddenly felt guilt. Sinking guilt which spread from her toes to her hands.

“Jaune…” she murmured. “I’m sorry… this is all my fault… If I didn’t drag you along, then none of this_”

Her friend held up his hand to stop her, his expression sad.

“Stop Ruby, you didn’t drag us anywhere,” he said. “We chose to follow you. We lost Pyrrha, you lost her too… and Penny, and your team, and in a way, your sister too. You even lost your father to an enemy you couldn’t have seen coming. We couldn’t have seen any of this coming. You are still here though, despite everything you have lost, and could still lose, you chose to come here. Because you felt you could make a difference. You didn’t drag us anywhere, little sister. You gave us the courage to follow you.”

_Little sister…_ the thought echoed through Ruby’s mind, reminding her of her conversation with her team when she had first discovered the truth about her father. RWBY and JNPR were her family. They were a little broken, one of them wasn’t coming back, but they were still a family.

“Thanks Jaune…” Ruby murmured. It was about that moment that Ren and Nora ran up, looking panicked, yet relieved when they saw Jaune and Ruby. That relief was short lived as Lauriam’s Heartless let out a screech that sounded akin to fear. There, standing there in horrific splendour, was the largest Grimm Ruby had ever seen. She pulled Crescent Rose from her belt, freaking out slightly when she noticed Ren falling to his knees.

“Ren…” she murmured. There wasn’t much chance to rest or pull each other into a battle mindset however. They needed to fight this beast. “Ren, please get up, we need you.”

This was going to be a hard battle. Ren pushed himself up and the quartet spread apart slightly, before they all jumped into the fray. They were now fighting for their lives and for Qrow who was barely conscious. Lauriam’s Heartless was also there with claws raised, but team RNJR knew that the small creature would be unable to help.

For about a minute they were doing well, but then they were all thrown backwards. This Grimm was powerful. Ruby didn’t know what to do. None of the team seemed to know. In their hesitation to attack back, the Grimm set its sights on Qrow. Jaune ran to get him, only to garner the attention of the Grimm. But then the Grimm stopped, confused, as if it couldn’t see Jaune anymore.

Ruby looked at Ren and saw that his Aura… no, his Semblance was flowing through the ground to the blonde and the wounded man.

“Go, get him out of here!” Ren called. Wide eyed, but recognising the situation.

“Dad, go with them,” she hissed to the Heartless. “Help me protect them.”

Though it was basically impossible to read the expression on the Heartless’ face, it was quite easy to see the hesitance in the creature’s posture, even as Lauriam chased after Jaune and Qrow, snatching up Ruby’s backpack as it went passed. Ruby sighed, two less things to worry about now. Her Uncle and her father’s Heartless were out of harm’s way. It was time to fight now.

◇◆◇◆◇

The fight was long, Ren had been reckless, they had been knocked down several times, but now Ruby had one of the Grimm’s arms pinned to the ground with her scythe. She watched as Jaune and Ren worked together to pin the other arm.

“Nora, now!” Ren called. Ruby was glad that whatever Nora had said to Ren had snapped the black haired boy back into reality. The black-haired reaper wasn’t sure if Ren would have survived had he kept acting recklessly. But also, Ruby could see that this fight, it meant a lot to the pair. This Grimm was in their past, now it was in their ‘now’, something they had to face. Ren walked up to the Grimm, his face set in determination. Ruby didn’t know what he was thinking as he cut of one arm, then the next.

“And for myself.”

Those were the words that Ren ended the fight with. Ruby smiled, everything was fine now. As Nora tackled Ren to the ground with joy, Ruby turned and rushed to where Jaune had left her Uncle, praying that he had been able to hold out. Lauriam’s Heartless was there, seemingly agitated, but the creature relaxed once it saw Ruby. She walked over and took her backpack from the Heartless, and slung it over her back, before smiling at her Uncle.

“Good job… kiddo,” Qrow murmured. Jaune walked up, smile on his face. He was about to say something when someone else started to clap slowly off to the side. Ruby froze when she saw a black coat, but her mouth ran dry when she noted the figure’s white hair. Bronzed skin and golden eyes; this figure was not a man she recognised, but she knew him all the same.

“Indeed, well fought,” the man said in a baritone voice which may have sounded nice, had Ruby not known what this man was here for. “You truly are your father’s daughter. I can see he has taught you well.”

“Xemnas,” the young reaper snarled; her lip curling. The man, the Nobody, seemed amused. Ruby quickly unfolded her scythe and dashed at the man, ignoring her father’s Heartless as he cried out wordlessly. Her hasty attack was ill thought-out, and she didn’t see Xemnas move to catch her, but suddenly her wrists were caught in one gloved hand and he had Crescent Rose in the other. Jaune, who had run up to attack with her was tossed aside by some strange wave of black and white… something.

“It would be problematic if you had a weapon that you knew well in your hands,” he noted, speaking at her and not to her. “No, for you are merely the insurance that Marluxia will fight for the Organisation. You will not need your weapon. Not this one at least, resourceful as I have observed you, I am sure you will create a new solution.”

Jagged black lightning danced along Ruby’s scythe, before the weapon that had seen the young reaper through so much shattered into pieces. Ruby cried out in shock. A screech of anger drew Ruby’s attention to Lauriam’s Heartless, jumping at Xemnas, only to be battered away like a fly.

“So, the Heartless was able to retain the emotions of the Somebody…” Xemnas hummed thoughtfully, before smirking. He surveyed the group, Qrow who had fallen unconscious again, Jaune who was trying to push himself up, and Lauriam’s curled up Heartless. Footsteps indicated the arrival of Ren and Nora. Laughing, Xemnas disappeared with Ruby in a swirl of darkness. Three voices cried out in unison.

_ **“RUBY!!”** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marluxia: What is this? ARYA?!? You just...! YOU JUST--!  
Xigbar: Easy there "Luxia" you don't want to get on the author's bad side... besides that's not even the biggest twist yet.  
Marluxia: ... Xigbar, why is Arya laughing maniacally?  
Xigbar: Heh, ya might wanna read the next chapter before she uploads it. Don't wanna be shocked again, do ya?  
Marluxia: *stalks off to find where the story is kept*  
Xigbar: .... Oh Lauriam, ever have you been easy to push. You really need to start pushing back... *smirks* As if. Ahhh do you hear that? That is the sound of the RWBY canon, crying out in terror, and then being silenced. Mostly. 
> 
> Thus ends the RWBY arc of my fanfic. Moving onto Kingdom Hearts! We have twelve chapters left and still so much to cover! Maybe it will come as a surprise to you, or maybe not, but there will be a sequel. RUBY ROSE HAS BEEN TAKEN FROM REMNANT BY XEMNAS AND THE AUTHOR HAS ZERO REGRETS!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! *presses hands together with an evile smirk* Yesssss everything is going according to plan~! 
> 
> "ESUNA!!!" Oh! And Lauriam's Heartless actually had a good idea! ... unfortunately neither Jaune nor Ruby are versed in magic... so it failed. Buuuuuut Jaune and Ruby now know, and can experiment later, maybe get taught even, by someone? *evile smirk widens*
> 
> Next chapter: We're gonna check in with Marluxia! See how he's going. To the Kingdom of Corona!
> 
> ALSO - I have a joint Tumblr with Chrisss, for a Kingdom Hearts AU if you wanted to check it out! Search the-heart-theatre on Tumblr and you'll be brought to our land of chaos and amazement!
> 
> Or copy this to the search bar: https://the-heart-theatre.tumblr.com/
> 
> \- - - - -
> 
> "̵̢͂M̶͉̃y̵̤̅ ̶͉͝b̴̧̓a̵̦̽c̴͕̅k̴͈̂d̷̰̋o̶̢̾o̸͔̊r̵̳̔ ̵̨͝w̶̡͛a̵͚͐s̷̗̓ ̵̱͐c̷̥̕l̴̼̄o̶͕͑ṣ̸͝ḛ̵̈́d̴̪͆?̸̘͒!̸͍̍?̶̯̊ ̷̗̽A̴̹̒ņ̶̈́d̷̹ ̶̙̋I̸̯͠ ̴̯̌ẗ̸̙h̸͚̾ȯ̴̭u̸̗͗g̶̲͒ḥ̶͛t̴̛͔ ̵̗̀Ỉ̸̟ ̷͔̂w̴̋ͅa̸͈͘s̵̙̍ ̷̰͝ḇ̸̋ë̵̠́î̶̢n̴̦͑g̵͔͘ ̴̟̆s̵̜̎ń̷̝e̸̺̍a̶̺̾k̴̙͝y̷̢̓!̴̠̓!̷̤̈́!̷͈͆ ̷͔͝C̵̡̓u̶̙͒r̸͍s̷̹̚e̸̜͆s̷̛͜!̶̤̒ ̶ͅĀ̵̖t̸̖͑ ̶͎̈l̶̖̎e̶͕̊ǎ̸͚s̸̳̽t̴̹̉ ̴̥̄Ḭ̶̌ ̷͇̾s̵̙̔t̶̫̚i̸̠͆l̴͉̚l̶ͅ ̵̜͋h̸̢̑a̷̗͒v̸͕̈e̴̛͙ ̵̱͑b̶̧̿o̸͕̚ỏ̶̱t̴̙̒ ̸̟͋a̴̩̐c̸͔̅c̵̼̚e̷͍͊s̸͖͝ș̴̍ ̴̰̾f̷̪̉o̸̲̎r̷̭̋ ̴͍̐n̶̯̄o̸̯͒w̴̛̤.̴͚̈́.̸͎͝.̵̤͝"̴͖̍ 


	20. Living Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightmares became reality this day.

The first thing that Marluxia noticed when he stepped onto the new world was just how green it was. So many plants, flowers, trees; all of it was green. _Greener than even Remnant,_ whispered the voice of Lauriam in his mind. Marluxia pushed the voice away. Lauriam needed to disappear, for Ruby’s safety. It had only been a few days since he had become Marluxia again, but even then, Lauriam could not stay, that was too dangerous.

Sora wasn’t here yet, but Marluxia knew better than to think he wouldn’t come. First things first, he needed to scout the world, find out about the people here, and try and find that damned “Light” that Xehanort needed for his “χ-blade” in case the Guardians of Light couldn’t find seven for their own number. A bland smirk worked its way onto the Nobody’s face. _Yes,_ he thought mockingly, _I hear that Light is hard to come by these days. Cinder planned her attack well, bringing doubt to the people as the darkness was reaching its peak._

Shoving his thought aside again before he could start thinking about Ruby, Marluxia pressed forward towards the forest’s exit. All he knew about this world was its name, Kingdom of Corona. He needed to get a feel of this place before Sora came and ran his Keyblade through things. Thankfully there was a castle with a town around it, most likely the centre of this Kingdom and where he would start his search for “Light”. With a plan in mind, Marluxia headed towards the castle town. Something didn’t sit right with him, but he pushed that all aside.

◇◆◇◆◇

Thankfully for Marluxia, the townsfolk were rather talkative. Channelling Lauriam’s charm, the pink haired Nobody was able to neatly slot himself into the lives of people, it only took him a few hours and then the information that he was looking for practically fell into his lap. There was a princess in this world apparently; she had been stolen away as a baby. Also apparently, this princess’ life had been saved by the life of the flower that became this kingdom’s flag.

Marluxia snorted derisively once he was alone at how easily the information had come to him. He hadn’t even needed to search for long. Here was this Princess, missing from her people. If there was a light in this world, a pure heart of light, then he shouldn’t need to look further than finding this girl. Then came his next dilemma; he actually needed to find this girl. Missing princesses were extremely difficult to find.

Of course, there was the chance that this princess was not the pure light that he had been instructed to find, but he didn’t particularly care if he wasted time searching. He wasn’t too inclined to help Xehanort with his plans. With a snort, Marluxia walked back to the town square. It was the best place to hear rumours afterall.

“Hey Marluxia!”

Or he would have walked back to the town square had Xigbar not shown up. Impassively, the pinked haired reaper turned to face the eye-patched arrow gunner. He crossed his arms and said nothing, waiting for the Nobody to continue, as he always did.

“Man, your daughter has the same expressions as you,” Xigbar laughed. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she was actually raised by you! ‘Course I do know better, which means her glare is a complete coincidence. Freaky right?”

“What do you want, Xigbar?” Marluxia finally asked flatly. “I haven’t the time for idle discussion if that was why you were here.”

“As if!” the Freeshooter scoffed, irritating the pink haired Nobody. “I wanted to tell ya that unfortunately, Xehanort told Xemnas about Ruby.”

Marluxia didn’t freeze upon hearing that and he didn’t feel a cold fear gripping his chest, because such emotional reactions were impossible for him. Just as Xigbar didn’t grip the reaper’s shoulder because he didn’t start swaying as realisation struck him.

“You promised to keep her safe,” the pink haired Nobody said in what could have been an accusing voice. “You said you would help me protect her.”

“Yeah, well, there’s only so much I can do,” Xigbar replied, waving his hand carelessly, before looking directly at Marluxia, a serious look in his eye. “You know just as well as I that there is no point in open betrayal. Look where that got Axel and Roxas. Planning betrayal has its own difficulties too, as you and Larxene also know. Right now, you have one goal that keeps you here, same as me. Admittedly, our goals are different.”

Marluxia’s eyes narrowed at Xigbar, making the other Nobody smirk in amusement. There was a question on the reaper’s lips, but somehow he knew that Xigbar wouldn’t say more than he already had. That’s how the Freeshooter worked; he only gave information that he wanted you to know, and everything else was misinformation or something unrelated. So instead Marluxia asked a different question, one that he has asked as Lauriam, but he wanted to know if he’d get a different answer, especially with this new information he had been given.

“Why do you care about Ruby’s safety anyway?” he asked, his new golden eyes meeting the old golden gaze of Xigbar. “She’s just one girl. The daughter of a traitor at that. Ruby doesn’t seem to align with your supposed goal.”

“Haven’t ya worked it out yet?” Xigbar snorted in amusement. “Unfortunate… ah well, you’ll work it out soon enough. Did ya know you weren’t the first person to ask me to keep her safe? Tch, as if. You may just be the third.”

Marluxia’s eyes widened with surprise, a feeling too strong to quench, as he took a step backwards. What did Xigbar mean? The eye-patched Nobody didn’t elaborate though as he straightened, seemingly pleased that he was able to shake the practically unshakeable Marluxia. 

“Well, I need to go check on Sora,” he said cheerfully. “Then I need to ensure that Xemnas hasn’t found Ruby. Barring success there, I’ll get her some help that I won’t be able to provide personally.”

He disappeared through a Corridor of Darkness before the reaper could react. Marluxia remained still for a few more seconds before his fist clenched. With a growl he forced what was becoming associated with Lauriam’s consciousness aside again. He had a task, and he needed to start doing it. Taking a breath and pulling up his emotionless, fake smile again, and resumed his course back to the town square.

◇◆◇◆◇

In the town square again, the pink haired Nobody was keeping his ear open for rumours on where it might be possible to find this princess, rumours that mentioned the princess in any capacity. He heard nothing, but there was one conversation that caught his attention. It was between two young ladies at the flower shop that was at the edge of the town square. Marluxia walked over and pretended to look through the flowers there.

“Oh it was horrible!” The first lady said, twisting her dark red hair around her finger, as she looked at her friend. “I couldn’t believe the story myself, Madame Gothel is nothing but the most charming woman I have ever met! There is no way that she was the one who killed that furrier the other week!”

“Atrocious lies, all of them,” the second lady agreed, shaking her head which was covered by a pale blue scarf. “That poor lady lives in the forest all alone, with her daughter! She does everything to provide for the girl.”

“Yes, Gothel was looking for paints for the girl!” the first woman continued. “I said I would bring my wares to her in the tavern in the forest tomorrow. I was thinking of getting her some of these flowers too, for turning into paints. The vibrant ones make beautiful pigment once dried.”

Marluxia hummed as he reached forward to pick up one of the flowers in front of him. He wasn’t certain why, but this woman that they were discussing, she was a likely candidate for the princess’ kidnapper. The girl too, was likely this missing princess; which meant he now had a course to take. That was fine; he could follow the first lady to this tavern in the woods and then find out more about this Gothel. He looked at the flower he picked up and saw it was a red rose. Suddenly the Nobody recalled a conversation he had with Summer when he first started travelling the woman.

_“Marluxia, what is the first thing you do when you start a new mission?” Summer asked as she looked at the campfire they had set up that night. The question was asked softly, a genuine curious question, but spoken as if she wasn’t really expecting an answer. It wasn’t an unrealistic expectation afterall, Marluxia hadn’t exactly shared much about himself, and most of the chatter had been one sided from the white cloaked woman. Tonight however…_

_“Usually, I start by finding information,” Marluxia replied, his tone not to different from Summer’s. “The information I need may be rumours, or facts from official news, or even just the surrounding environment. I need to know what I’m working with, and I need to see if anyone knows what I’m looking for.”_

_There was a small moment of silence as Summer gave him a look of surprise. She then smiled brightly at him. For the briefest moment Marluxia may have believed that this woman was the Sun and something in him wanted to never let that light go. But that moment was gone, as if it hadn’t happened._

_Summer Rose…_ If Marluxia thought about it, there was a point where the woman had become his light, and he had craved that light where the World that Never Was had become a drowning darkness. The two ladies that the reaper had been listening to were now gone. On an impulse, Marluxia walked into the shop with the rose in hand and purchased it with some converted munny. He thought he heard the spirited laughter of Summer briefly near his ear, but when he turned around there was no one there.

Pushing that thought aside, the Nobody stowed the purchased flower in his coat pocket and walked out, before heading to the outskirts of the town to leave for the forest again. Now was the time to remove himself from the town and be forgotten. By tomorrow he wouldn’t exist, once again, and could follow his information trail. Thankfully there was a beach that, while showing a full view of the bridge, was in fact well hidden from passer-by travellers. 

A few reaper Nobodies appeared behind him once he was standing on the shoreline.

“Keep a watch for Sora,” he commanded in a disinterested voice. “We wouldn’t want his arrival to interrupt us too soon.”

Without a word the Nobodies disappeared, as they always did. Nothing had changed in the lesser Nobodies, clearly. Lucky for him then. He stood there contemplating his next course of action when the sound of a Corridor of Darkness opening made him turn his head slightly to the side. Xemnas stepped out and walked up beside them. To potential onlookers they could have been friends, in reality, Marluxia was internally sneering. What did Xemnas want?

“I trust your mission is going well so far?” the white haired man asked, not even looking at the reaper. Non-existent scorn crossed Marluxia’s mind for a moment.

“I discovered the whereabouts of the missing princess of this world, Xemnas,” the reaper replied, lying slightly, because he had not yet found that information, but he knew he would. It seemed that his answer was satisfactory to the former Superior, as the man looked at him with a pleased smile.

“Excellent, you have found the light here then,” he stated. “See to it that she remains unharmed. Should we need new Princesses of Light, it wouldn’t do to have this girl… diminished.”

Marluxia hummed out a sound of agreement. Briefly he wondered if walking away would have been prudent in this moment, or if Xemnas would have called him out for treason. The reaper truly didn’t care enough about anything that this man said. There was a reason, after all, to why Marluxia had betrayed the old Organisation.

“You had best continue your task,” Xemnas stated, making it sound like it was the most obvious thing in the world, before a smirk flitted onto his face. "Oh... and Marluxia, before I forget... to ensure that you don't betray us again, I have something for you..."

As Xemnas spoke, he held out his hand and through the darkness summoned something, someone. Lauriam would have stared in horror, would prayed for this to be a nightmare. But he was Marluxia right now, and all he could do was stare impassively, hide the growing feeling of dread that he shouldn't be able to feel, as Xemnas suddenly had Ruby Rose before him, his hand clamped down on her shoulder, while the teen stared at him with a terrified expression, silently begging her father to do something.

"A hostage for your good behaviour; I'm sure you know what will happen to her if you act up. And if you leave her behind, I'll assume you don't want her and dispose of her properly as an apology."

This... had to be a nightmare. Ruby was safe, on Remnant, not here in Xemnas' hands, looking like a mirror of Naminé. Marluxia remembered how he had gripped Naminé's shoulder the same way, how he had used Naminé to manipulate his desired outcome and make Sora fight Axel. He remembered her terrified expression. And now that expression was on his daughter's face and he could do nothing about it as Xemnas pushed Ruby at him and disappeared, leaving father and daughter alone.

Nightmares became reality this day.

◇◆◇◆◇

In a bar in Mistral, Qrow was drinking, unsurprisingly. Jaune, Nora and Ren had gotten him to the city, gotten him the healing he needed, but he moment he awoke, there was a screaming Heartless, and the three teens had told him that Ruby had been taken by Xemnas, and because of who Ruby had been taken by, there was no informing authorities. Ruby ceased to exist from their journey the moment she was taken. That cut Qrow deeper than any injury caused by blade or scorpion Faunus tail.

“Uhm, excuse me?” a hesitant voice said behind him, making the man turn around to face this newcomer. It was a kid, a boy about Ruby’s age if he had to guess. Certainly too young to be in a pub like the one Qrow was sitting in.

“I don’t think they serve kids here,” he said dismissively. Qrow raised his eyebrow as this kid seemed to have a conversation with himself, almost ignoring the scruffy huntsman. What a strange kid…? When the kid spoke again, a wash of anger flooded him, surprised Qrow.

“I’m supposed to tell you… I’d like my cane back?”

Standing up, Qrow sized the kid up, even as he took the cane from his belt. Ozpin’s cane. Eyes narrowed slightly, fist tightening around the weapon that looked so innocuous. 

“You’re late Oz,” he said, almost growling, but that was reigned in mostly, the boy wasn’t at fault for not believing or following Ozpin straight away. “Ruby’s gone. Taken by Xemnas, and there is nothing any of us can do about it.”

At first the boy was confused, but then shock worked onto his face, and Qrow could only assume that Ozpin told him who Ruby was. Nightmares were now a reality they needed to live with. Silently Qrow sent an apology to Taiyang for failing to keep Ruby safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE!!!! Early update!! Why? Because I finished my last assignment for the semester and I want to celebrate. So I decided to update my fanfic early.
> 
> Xigbar: Hey, Marluxia! You okay there?  
Marluxia: O.o  
Xigbar: .... Nope? Alright then! Can't say I didn't try! *smirks* Well, isn't THAT a surprising twist? Interesting reveals all around.
> 
> Well now, we have three different points of interest almost... two things that Xigbar said to Marluxia... and then Xemnas giving Ruby to Marluxia... on that second point, I must say, I've been amused at how many people have assumed that Sora and Ruby would be on the same team. Very amused, I could not believe it. I never once hinted to them ever working together. To be fair... I never discouraged the assumptions either.
> 
> Xemnas has given Marluxia a deadly ultimatum: Do what you've been ordered to, or see your daughter die (or get Norted?). A hostage for his good behaviour indeed...
> 
> I wonder what Xigbar meant in his conversation though?
> 
> \- - - - -
> 
> He keeps coming back! I can’t let him have his way, he already did so once.  
_**loading file: Xemnas.EXE**_  
I didn’t want to use this, but he is leaving me no choice.  
_loading story backup_


	21. Flowers and Lights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby learned quickly, in this world of flowers and lights, to do everything in her power to work around the tight leash Xemnas had given her.

Ruby stared up at her father with a terrified expression. The past… hour? Two? Day? The young reaper didn’t know anymore, she had lost track of time once Xemnas had taken her through the portal of darkness. But if she had to put her feelings into words, she had been running on high tension ever since that scorpion Faunus had shown up. The creepy man had been targeting her for reasons explained by her Uncle later, Uncle Qrow had been poisoned, Lauriam’s Heartless had shown up, team RNJR had split into two pairs, and while on the road to Kuroyuri, she and Jaune had failed to cast a spell that could have helped Qrow. Then in the ruined town they had been attacked by that… massive Grimm, they could have died and then Xemnas showed up, shattered Crescent Rose and then taken her away.

Terror was most certainly an understatement. Once Xemnas had disappeared, Ruby fell to her knees, pressing her hands to her mouth as a mixture of wretched sobbing and muffled screams came from her mouth. Her silver eyes were wide and she could only stare at her father, who now had golden eyes like that creepy old guy who had taken him. Tears blurred her vision, she couldn’t see now; all she could see was the blurry outline of her father who seemed just as horrified at the situation. 

Suddenly her breath was stolen from her, she couldn’t breathe properly. As her breathing turned into gasps, Ruby realised that she was hyperventilating. There was a muffled voice near her ear and she tried to focus on that. Who was that? Focusing on the voice made it clearer, and she started to calm down a bit, but only enough to breathe properly again.

“Ruby… please, it’s going to be alright.”

Her father was speaking. The voice was colder, blander; barely any expression in the tone, but it was the voice of her father. Strange as it was to hear how different Lauriam and Marluxia sounded, Ruby recognised her father’s voice and she threw herself into his arms, crying out every toxic feeling that had been festering inside her.

“Talk to me,” Marluxia murmured, picking her up and beginning to walk. His words were a mix of a request and an order. This was new, Marluxia was new to her, but in a way, his tone was comforting to the terrified girl. Ruby didn’t notice where there were walking, because she had squeezed her eyes shut tightly.

“E-ever si-since that old guy, X-xe-xehanort, took y-yo-you away, everything has just spiralled downhill…” Ruby said around her tears. “Jaune, N-nora an-and Ren j-jo-joined me in a-a journey t-to Mistral… E-e-ev-everything seemed to fall apart a-a-at once, some creepy Faunus attacked us, a-and poisoned Q-qrow. Then wh-when we were in K-ku-kuroyuri, Xemnas came a-an-and he b-br-broke Crescent Rose!”

She felt her father’s arms tighten around her a bit, and that made Ruby relax further. She was with Marluxia now, she was confident that he wouldn’t let anything happen to her. The next few minutes were silent before the young reaper felt the air shift, and she was moving downwards. She opened her eyes to see her father was now placing her down near a tree, placing her backpack under her head like a pillow.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help you,” Marluxia said quietly, his eyes showing quashed regret that her father didn’t seem to be letting himself feel. “I tried to not give Xemnas any reason to look further into my time on Remnant; unfortunately that option was taken away from me.”

His hand rested on her head slightly and Ruby realised that she was exhausted. But she also realised, that Marluxia was trying to calm her, to get her to relax enough to sleep. She tried to push herself up, only for her father to stop her with a hand on her shoulder. He shook his head then pressed a finger to his lips.

“Tomorrow morning, you and I will talk,” he promised. “I will watch over you. But now is not the time for conversation. Please… sweetheart… sleep, I promise we will talk once you wake up.”

The word sweetheart sounded strange coming from him. Like it wasn’t something he would normally say, like it was a dangerous word; though, Xemnas proved that it was. Marluxia was cutting himself off from Remnant to keep her safe, and with her appearance, suddenly it was a fine line he had to walk. Ruby had heard what Xemnas had said; her father needed to keep her close enough that the white haired man didn’t think she was being left behind, but keep her far enough away to keep her safe from whatever dangerous task he was undertaking so that she wouldn’t be hurt… or perhaps so her perspective of him wouldn’t change.

As Ruby let herself drift to sleep, Marluxia sitting down next to her to keep watch, she realised that her father had hardened his heart for her sake. If she was to survive this new world, if she was to survive against Xemnas, she may well have to do the same. The young reaper couldn’t resolve that in her own heart yet, however. Sleep came when Marluxia started humming softly.

◇◆◇◆◇

Morning came too soon, in Marluxia’s opinion, and he had remained awake. His thoughts had been plagued by Summer, how she would have, SHOULD have been standing with Ruby, and how she would have reacted to this situation. She would have called it the impossible situation, a situation that everyone involved had done their hardest to avoid, but had failed. How could he keep Ruby safe? With a sigh he gently shook his daughter awake, he would take each day as they came now, and pray that he didn’t scare his daughter away.

“Ruby, it’s time to get up,” he murmured, as the girl slowly let her eyes flutter open. Marluxia felt relief when he saw she looked less tired than she did last night. Then he paused. No. He couldn’t feel anything, so that was wrong… Either way, silver eyes now stared up at him. 

“You will need to ditch your bag I’m afraid,” he said with a hum. “So you should go through it and take what you can carry without hindrance. It stands out starkly in this world.”

As he stood up he could feel Ruby’s gaze on his back, and it burned him. He knew that she was trying to compare him to Lauriam. His Somebody was buried deep within his psyche however, there was none of that man to be found. He didn’t turn back to face Ruby, not even when she gasped out loud. Marluxia clenched his fist at his side. Xemnas would pay for this. It took a minute more before Ruby stepped up beside him. The older reaper’s eyes widened in slightly when he noticed the weapon she now carried, hanging over her back as she shifted her belt, which had Summre’s journal hanging where it had ever since before the start of the Vytal Festival, and some flash of silver and blue that disappeared to be hidden by her cloak.

Miló and Akoúo̱.

Marluxia remembered the lesson that he_ _Lauriam_ had taught to the students, and he remembered Ruby picking Pyrrha’s weapon. When had she gotten them her though? His question must have been somewhere in his golden eyes, because his face was flat and didn’t react to the weapon which Ruby gripped, yet the younger reaper still answered.

“I packed them when I was planning on leaving for Mistral,” Ruby said quietly. “I was going to give Miló and Akoúo̱ to Jaune, but with everything that happened, I forgot they were in my bag… I’m sure… Pyrrha wouldn’t mind if they were used to protect me though. She taught me a few things, like you told us all to do…”

Marluxia was silent. Now he knew that Ruby saw him and Lauriam as the same person, and for some reason, that warmed his non-existent heart, but also confused him. Was Lauriam really Marluxia? There wasn’t time to focus on that question however; he needed to get back to the shore so that he could follow that woman who was going to be meeting “Madame Gothel”. So he looked back in front of him and gestured forward before he started walking. Ruby followed a second later.

He could see Ruby flinch out of the corner of his eye when one of his reaper Nobodies took her bag. She would be right to assume it wouldn’t be seen again; the Lesser Nobodies weren’t exactly known for keeping tabs on anything. However, Ruby didn’t look back, much to Marluxia’s approval. Instead she quickened her steps until she was beside him and not following behind. Ruby looked up at her father and gold eyes met determined silver.

“So… what do we need to do in order to get home?” she asked, and the pink haired Nobody was slightly impressed that she managed to keep her voice steady. There was no way she didn’t realise what was happening, was there?

“I am going to be following a woman I overheard yesterday,” Marluxia hummed. “She will lead me to where I will hopefully find more information about a missing Princess.”

“You going to save the Princess?” the young girl tried to ask only to shake her head and look to the side. “No, that doesn’t sound right… Xemnas just wants you to find her, but then what?”

The pink haired reaper glanced at his daughter and hummed, wondering if she really wanted to know. He decided that because she had asked, he would tell her, and that would give him time to decide what he should do with her here. Marluxia knew that he couldn’t hope to keep her alive if Ruby followed him. That was too dangerous.

“It is not Xemnas, but Xehanort who wants me to ensure that there is at least one light here to be a part of the seven new lights that he needs to form the χ-blade,” the reaper replied, stopping so he could turn to Ruby fully and look directly at her. “In case the Guardians of Light cannot find seven for their own number.”

“The Keyblade?” Ruby asked in confusion, tilting her head. Her confusion seemed to overpower any fear, and the Nobody thought it was understandable. He shook his head and crossed his fingers together to make an ‘x’ shape.

“Alas, my daughter, not ‘Key’ blade but ‘χ’ blade,” he replied. “’χ’ being a fancy letter from an older language. Looks like an ‘x’ but isn’t one.”

Ruby looked at him, her confusion turning to an incredulous stare. 

“That sounds… really stupid,” she said finally, making Marluxia snort in amusement. “So he wants this χ-blade for reasons, probably evil. Xemnas is basically keeping me hostage so that you will do whatever it is you are needed to do, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say that he isn’t acting on Xehanort’s command there. And you are going along with this because why?”

“It gets us home faster and keeps you safe.”

That admission from him was met by silence, so he turned and started to walk back towards where he was anticipating the appearance of the woman from yesterday. He half didn’t expect the grassy footsteps that followed after him a moment afterwards, or the quiet voice from Ruby.

“Alright then,” she murmured. “How do I help us get home faster?”

Marluxia smirked. He knew that Ruby had been made team leader for a reason.

◇◆◇◆◇

A few hours later and Ruby was bored. Gone was fear, and anger, and sadness, and despair, and confusion. Ruby was just bored. She stood in front of one of her father’s reaper Nobodies; swinging Miló at the flexible creature that dodged out of the way and attacked her back with the scythe it held, making the teen raise Akoúo̱ to block. With a huff, Ruby jumped backwards and tried to use her semblance only to stop and stab the javelin into the ground.

_“I am going to discover the truth about this missing princess, I need you to work out how to use Pyrrha’s weapon. I will leave some Nobodies with you.”_

It was about half an hour after her father had left that Ruby had discovered that she could not use her semblance. The only logical explanation that Ruby currently had was that her semblance was unique to Remnant, but dust, the power of the elements, was not, though it activated differently, so Ruby had very quickly stopped trying to use it, before she could understand it properly. The young reaper hissed in frustration before she pulled Akoúo̱ out of the ground and raised it at the Nobody in front of her again. It seemed to stare at her.

“What do you want me to say?” she asked it, staring right back. “I made my choice and I am sticking with it. Xemnas broke Crescent Rose, so I need to build on what… Pyrrha… was able to teach me.”

The creature tilted its hooded head, asking a new question, and for a moment Ruby wondered if she was actually able to understand them or if she was just giving them words when they said nothing. The former was becoming more likely as another one of her father’s Nobodies hovered into her field of vision and twirled. Oh yeah, Ruby could totally understand them. The second one asked if she was going to try and get revenge on Xemnas.

“No, there’s no point in doing that,” Ruby replied. “That would just be inserting myself into whatever this stupid fight is. Xemnas made the consequences of any… misbehaviour quite clear when he took me. Oh he made sure I understood what would happen if I tried to run off or if I assisted the Guardians of Light. So I need to work around that.”

The two Nobodies floated closer, their newest question echoing in Ruby’s head. The young reaper let out a breath and calmly raised Miló and Akoúo̱, ready for the Nobodies to come at her. It was the third one that her father had left with her that attacked first.

“I haven’t quite worked that out yet,” Ruby hummed as her response. That was mostly the truth, but there was one thing that stopped her from thinking further on the topic, a missing segment of information that she didn’t yet have and wanted to know the answer to before she planned. Boredom was replaced by thoughtful calm. The reddish-black haired teen had heard the final command that Marluxia had given the reaper Nobodies before he had left.

_“And if Xemnas comes anywhere NEAR Ruby;_ **kill** _him.”_

Ruby wanted to know if the three Nobodies would actually try to follow that order.

◇◆◇◆◇

“It is all my fault; the fall of Beacon, the evil that is making its way to Haven, and now because of that, Miss Rose was left in a position where she was able to be taken…”

Three students were staring at the brown haired boy sitting on the chair, being a conduit of the soul of Professor Ozpin, as he apologised for the state of the world. They didn’t know what to say. Jaune took a step forward with his hands spread.

“… What do you mean?” he asked, making the boy, Oscar, who was currently Ozpin, look up at him, before he sighed and looked away.

“I once told Miss Rose that I have made more mistakes than any man, woman or child on this planet,” Ozpin said through the boy. “Never before has my curse been so apparent as now. When I die, I am reborn, over and over. The professor Ozpin that you knew was not my first form, nor was it my last, clearly.”

“Then… who- what are you?” Jaune murmured hesitantly. Ozpin opened his mouth to speak when a different voice echoed around.

“Why, I thought that was obvious!” The voice said, even as a dark portal, like the ones Lauriam used to use, opened up to let out a black cloaked man with long black, streaked hair, eye-patch over his right eye and a jagged scar under his left. “This guy is this world’s ‘chosen defender’ against some crazy force. Ain’t that right?”

Jaune, Ren and Nora all quickly shifted, pulling out their weapons on this newcomer, when Ozpin called for them to stand down.

“Wait, do not so hastily attack him, it will call the attention of others and that is not an explanation we want to be making.”

“As if!” the black haired man scoffed. “You lot are great at coming up with excuses. That’s not why I’m here though, we’re all running on borrowed time here and it seems I was too late to divert Xemnas. Which brings me to you, the boy named Jaune Arc.”

The man with the eye-patch pointed at Jaune who took a step back, confused.

“What if I could teach you a way to get to Ruby?” he asked, smirking when Jaune seemed to stand up straighter. “Though, only you would be able to get off of Remnant, and I cannot tell you how long you’ll be gone. Buuuut~ you would be able to help Ruby and then both of you can work out how to get back, since you won’t be able to get back via this same method. What do ya say?”

Jaune exchanged a glance with both Ren and Nora. A silent conversation passed between the trio, a rather long conversation. When Qrow tried to speak up to make a suggestion, all three teens held up their hands to stop him, an action that made the eye-patched man snort with amusement. Not once during their conversation did any one of the three teens look toward Qrow, or Ozpin who was still watching from Oscar’s body.

Finally Jaune looked back at the black cloaked man, blue eyes sharp with determination.

“Tell me how I can get to my _little sister,”_ the blonde said, before he appraised the man. “We will trust that the rest of Ruby’s team will be able to make it here… Xigbar.”

Xigbar’s smirk widened. “Wonderful,” he said in a slightly more dangerous tone. “Let’s begin. I’m about to teach you something that young Keyblade wielders wouldn’t learn until they had a greater grasp on magic, so that you can achieve what only six people before you have ever successfully achieved on their own.”

“Which is?” Qrow asked, is tone broadcasting his suspicion of the Nobody.

“Actually leaving Remnant.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Miló and Akoúo̱! Remember that I very specifically saved Miló from being melted at Cinder's hands? This wasn't the original intention when I did save Pyrrha's weapons, but it became the use of them. I had always planned on destroying Crescent Rose, but the point at which I had planned it, Ruby wouldn't grow from it. But here, Ruby now has to grow, use a weapon that she was only getting used to back on Remnant and take what little she has been taught by Pyrrha and survive.
> 
> Xigbar: She also has to plan whatever she is planning to get around Xemnas' threats. And meet up with Jaune, because clearly you're bringing him off Remnant to help Ruby.
> 
> Marluxia: A fair point made by Xigbar. If Kingdom Hearts is a game of trios, then I assume Ruby and Jaune are the first two of their trio?
> 
> That is correct, Marly! And by the fact you aren't asking if it's you who is the third, then you already know that the answer to that is no! Because I need you back on Remnant after I finish with Kingdom Hearts 3 in this story!
> 
> Jaune has been removed from Remnant as well now! That gives those left on Remnant a week or two for getting back together and progressing without their leaders. Timeline wise, Yang and Weiss aren't too far from joining Nora, Ren, Oscar and Qrow. So don't need to worry too much about them. But wow xD there was a lot of stuff said in this chapter! And apparently Ruby can understand the Lesser Nobodies, and she thinks χ-blade is a stupid name for a powerful Keyblade.
> 
> \- - - - -
> 
> "̸̖̃T̵̰͘h̵̡͋ȧ̶̺t̵͝ͅ ̷̠͘w̷͍̒a̵͍͑s̸͉̆ ̸̱̆ḁ̴̉n̸̹͝ ̶̲͌ị̵͠n̸͝ͅt̸͚̾e̸̫͆r̷͖̿ḙ̶̐s̷̟̀t̸̬͌i̵͚̐n̸͇͝g̴͔ ̶̣p̵̛ͅr̷̝̚o̵̻͋g̴̨̋r̶͚̋ạ̷̽m̸̧͝,̴͈̎ ̷̺̀c̴̮̐ë̷͉́r̴̡͊ẗ̴͈a̴̱͝i̵͖̕n̵͉̊l̵͖̎y̸̢͒ ̶̢̈́m̴̱͑ỏ̵̲r̴̼̊e̴͖͐ ̷̝͒f̸̞̂ë̴̜į̴̋s̶͚͑t̸̬͑ÿ̶̲́ ̴̝̿t̵̜̎h̷̳̊a̵̭̒n̶͗ͅ ̴̜̐t̷̨́h̸̗̓ĕ̵̟ ̸̗̚ȏ̶̜t̴̗̄h̶̹̓e̵͉r̷̗̂ ̸̢̆t̵͈̽w̶̖̉o̵͎͋.̶̖̍ ̸͒͜T̸̢͊ḣ̷͎ö̶̮́u̵͚͠ǧ̶̬h̸̙͋ ̷̹͒ǐ̷͔t̴̰̒ ̵̃͜w̵͛͜a̶͓͝s̸̳̀ ̷͉̀e̷̠̎a̵̧͆s̵͇̍ỉ̸͈ĕ̶͉ȑ̶͍ ̷̹̆t̴̞͐ö̴̤́ ̸̧̓d̵̲͛i̷̥͋s̶̝̾m̴̞͗i̵̱͛s̸͓̚s̸̟̿.̵͈̇ ̵̘̓I̷͓̓'̷̨v̶̺͌ê̸̡ ̷̲̉c̶͎̈ę̵̌r̴̚ͅt̷͖̅ạ̷͛i̷͖̎ņ̷͒l̵̡̄ŷ̶̮ ̶̘̚ĉ̶̭å̴̘ṵ̴̎g̵̘̀h̵̘͌t̴̡̃ ̷̲̈́ṣ̸̓ọ̶͑m̷̙̎e̴̥̊o̴̺̊n̷͕̏e̶̬̕'̸͚̕š̸͓ ̴͔̂a̵̦͝t̵̬̄t̶̗̓ẹ̷̊n̴͈͊t̴̰̃i̸̠̓o̷̯̅n̸̨͊.̸̩̈́.̷̦̏.̴̬̿ ̵̺͝I̸ͅ ̷̲̈́w̵̤͑o̶̱͛n̵̡̐d̸͈͂è̵̫r̷͚̈́ ̴̹͂w̷͔͂h̵̙͗o̴̧̅.̶̠̈ ̶̦̇N̴̟͘o̶̲͌ ̵̣̌m̶̬̊a̵̐ͅt̷͓̍t̷͚͆e̷͎̿ř̸̠.̴͇̐ ̶̡̉I̵͇̕ ̴̜̈w̷̰͌i̵̮̍l̴͓̂l̵͉̊ ̷͉̽s̷̭̏i̵̙̒m̸͓̒p̶͇̌l̶͉͒ỳ̸̡ ̶̗͆c̸̳̅h̷̖̅a̵̦̍n̸̥̍ģ̵͗ë̴͇́ ̶̼̏e̸̛̤v̸̦̆ȅ̴̥r̶̩̐y̷̟͆t̴͇͗ḫ̶̈́i̶̡n̶̳̈́g̷̤̈ ̴̡̐b̸̥̿a̶͕̾c̸̲͝k̷͈̾ ̵̲̄t̷͇̏h̷̛̫e̶͔̅ ̷̡͂w̵̖͋a̷͌͜y̴͍̍ ̷̫̂I̴͖̍ ̵̣̂ḫ̷͘a̷̗̓d̴̢̓ ̷̛̯i̶̟͆t̴̫̄.̴̛͍"̸̹̎ 


	22. Slipping Her Leash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She tried to justify it as helping her father; she would not realise her mistake until later.

Marluxia had come by to check on Ruby a few hours after he had left and he told her of what he had found. There was a woman named Gothel who was a common sight around the villages in the forest who was known for looking after her daughter. After some investigating of the forest, and a chance following of this woman, Marluxia had discovered a tower with the missing princess from the castle. Convenient. Not that Ruby said anything.

“When Sora comes it is likely he will try and find the Princess,” Marluxia hummed. “If you happen to see him, do everything you can to get him to head for the tower. He can put his Keyblade to use and protect the Princess.”

“And what is it that you will be doing?” Ruby asked, as she put Miló and Akoúo̱ on her back. The weight was different to Crescent Rose, but it was comforting and it reminded the young reaper of the times when Pyrrha would place her hand or her arm over her shoulders. Focus was dragged back to Marluxia when he snorted with amusement.

“I will be doing as Sora will expect of me,” he replied with a bland smirk. “Being the bad guy he needs to fight against.”

Ruby was silent before she rolled her eyes. Placing her hands on her hips, she spun to the side.

“And how do I know that Sora will even listen to a thing I say?” she asked, raising her eyebrow as she looked at her father, gesturing to the reaper Nobodies that floated nearby, looking a bit like deadly dandelions or some other flower with many petals. “With your Nobodies with me, I doubt he’s one to ask questions first and attack later.”

“You’ve never had the pleasure of meeting Sora,” her father laughed. “He’s almost too cheerful. Do be careful around him however. He has likely grown much since we last faced off in Castle Oblivion, and he will not remember that encounter.”

“Alright, I’ll head further into the forest then, keep an eye out for spikey brown hair,” Ruby sighed. She started to walk off before she paused and looked over her shoulder. “Stay safe dad.”

She almost didn’t catch her father’s quietly echoed sentiment. With a smile she continued walking, Marluxia’s three Nobodies following her. A small smirk worked its way onto her face. If she was honest, she was looking forward to meeting Sora. Her father had told her stories of the boy who had made his way through Castle Oblivion. 

◇◆◇◆◇

Conveniently Sora didn’t take too long to show up, but Ruby really wished he hadn’t once he did. She had been sparring with the reaper Nobodies again actually doing pretty well against them, when the three suddenly disappeared in little slithery lines which wreathed around her in a protective manner, only slinking into the trees when she had turned around. Behind her with a plain looking Keyblade in his hand, was a boy with brown spikey hair, blue eyes, and some outfit of a black hoodie, shirt and shorts with red trimmings. Ruby was amused at how close the colours were to her own.

“Who are you?” she asked, despite already having an inkling as to who this boy was. She glanced at his companions who were at his side, noting the upright standing dog who was wearing a form of guard uniform and the duck mage. They were looking at her with a mix of concern and wariness.

“I’m Sora,” the boy said. “And these are my friends, Donald and Goofy! We saw you were fighting some Nobodies, so we came to help.”

Despite suspecting that the boy was Sora, she was still surprised, as if she hadn’t actually believed it when she had asked. Ruby blinked a few times before she snorted slightly.

“You’re Sora?” she asked with amusement. “Aren’t you a little short to be a Keyblade wielder?”

There were a few moments of silence, where Ruby’s mouth twitched as she watched the words get processed by the trio in front of her. Then Sora’s face split into indignation while the guard covered his mouth to hide a laugh and the duck mage laughed without trying to hide it. The indignant spluttering from the spikey haired teen sent Ruby into laughter as well, clutching her stomach as she tried to stop. Taking a few deep breaths, the young reaper wiped mirth from her eye.

“I’m sorry, it’s just that every Keyblade Wielder I’ve ever met has basically been taller than me,” she said, trying to keep from bursting into laughter again. Sora looked up at her in surprise, he had been complaining to Donald for laughing, but her statement had him looking up at her.

“You know other Keyblade Wielders?” He asked curiously. Ruby tilted her head to the side briefly, considering this boy.

“Yes,” she replied simply. What on earth was she saying? The only Keyblade Wielder she knew was Jaune and even then she wasn’t sure if he really was one because _his Keyblade was still Crocea Mors and wasn’t changing back_. She didn’t take back her answers though, and no part of her smile felt forced. But there was another task she had to accomplish here, and the thought of that however turned her smile a little forced. “Not here obviously, anyway, you’re late, you really should keep walking. You interrupted my spar with those Nobodies.”

Sora seemed thrown for a loop at her words, and his two companions seemed to take a step backwards in unison. Ruby recognised the dangerous territory she was entering the moment the words left her mouth, it was like a feeling of coldness dropped upon the group. The duck brandished his wand, staff thing in front of him and glared at the young reaper, who raised Akoúo̱ slightly in response.

“Are you with the Organisation?” The duck demanded, to which Ruby’s face twisted into an expression of distaste.

“The less said about my feelings towards Xemnas, the better,” she scoffed. “No, I am not. I am here with my dad. Do not mistake my association with these Nobodies as anything else.”

“Donald!” Sora hissed at the duck, disapprovingly. Ah, so that was the mage’s name. Perhaps if she managed to direct the conversation more she would discover the name of the dog as well. Ruby pushed that thought aside. Marluxia had warned her against getting to know these three, and the younger reaper understood why her father had said so. So she took a careful step backwards.

“Wait!” Sora called, sensing her intention to retreat. “You said I was late? Late for what? Who are you?”

Ruby smiled tightly, silently cursing Xemnas, she wanted to help Sora, but she couldn’t, she wanted to tell him to simply turn back, to do whatever it was he needed to do, but she could not do that either. So plastered a mischievous smile onto her face and tilted her head.

“If I told you that, it wouldn’t be very fun, now would it?”

Without another word, she pushed her legs into a jump which wouldn’t be empowered by her semblance and launched into the trees behind her. Thankfully her jump was boosted by the reaper Nobodies and she bounded away through the trees, ignoring Sora calling after her. Ruby realised she needed a better plan to get around Xemnas if she wanted to find her freedom in this new situation.

“So, what did you think?” she asked the three Nobodies that were following her. The non-answer from the Nobodies was answer enough for the young teen, who was wishing her semblance worked on this world. When Ruby had asked Marluxia about it, the man had no answer, which was worrying to say the least. Feeling she was far enough away from Sora, Ruby stopped and landed on the forest floor. She was now deeper in the woods; the area was darker, far less welcoming.

“How about we try dust again, since it is clear I can’t use my semblance?” Ruby asked the Nobodies quietly, before pausing when one of them offered a suggestion. “Magic? You want me to try magic?”

The three reaper Nobodies nodded in tandem. The young teen took a step back before she turned her head away with a sigh. She shifted Miló and Akoúo̱ onto her back again and ran a hand through her hair. Briefly she let her left hand fall to the fox mask that sat on her belt, hidden by her cloak. She hadn’t worn it since before Xemnas had taken her from Remnant, she wanted to, but something, logic perhaps, or an old voice from a memory, told her that she shouldn’t wear it at the moment. But there was the moment where an old memory drifted into her mind.

_“You take up every tool at your disposal, don’t ya Spitfire?”_

The voice of Xigbar, but the face she saw wasn’t quite his. He had shorter hair with no streaks, and warm brown eyes which encouraged her <strike>_to learn magic_</strike>, but he still had the same scar and eyepatch. That was odd. Ruby couldn’t quite recall what this man had been trying to encourage her to do. <strike>_Braig_</strike>Xigbar was in her memories before she had met him at Amity then? Why was she struggling to remember?

“Alright then,” Ruby said, looking back up at the Nobodies who were waiting for her answer. “How do we start?”

It really came as no surprise to Ruby when the three Nobodies started to instruct her on the most basic forms of magic, starting with the polar opposites of Fire and Water. The young reaper wondered why they weren’t trying to teach her any ice, wind or lightning based spells, but the Nobodies were insistent on _fire_ and _water_. Ruby didn’t bother questioning them again when they dismissed her first question.

◇◆◇◆◇

The second time that Ruby met Sora; he was accompanied by some young man with a demeanour that was just as fake as Roman Torchwick’s smile and an older teenaged girl with long blonde hair. And by long, Ruby meant; long enough that it could have wrapped around edge of the arena inside Amity Colosseum and MAYBE the floor of the girl’s feet. That was how long this girl’s hair was. Sora, either oblivious to the Nobodies who were literally floating next to her, or didn’t care about that fact, introduced this blonde as Rapunzel, a girl from some tower in the forest.

Ruby recognised her as the Princess her father was trying to ensure the safety of… for the Organisation’s purposes. Those purposes were ones she didn’t like, but they were one’s she could take advantage of. After all, could Xemnas fault her for trying to help her father in his task? Certainly not, as she was ensuring that Sora was doing as her father instructed. So it was with a very faint, satisfied smirk on her face, disguised as a kind smile, that she happily accepted Sora’s invitation to travel with him and his new friends. 

She would not realise her mistake until later.

Now though, she was walking ahead of Sora, Donald and that dog guard who had introduced himself as Goofy, as she walked slightly to the side, away from the Princess, Rapunzel, and the Torchwick wannabe, Flynn. Beside her, one of her father’s Nobodies floated, and Ruby was honestly surprised that no one had questioned it yet. Perhaps it wasn’t that important when compared to the Heartless they were encountering. Most interestingly was the fact that the Nobody with her kept switching between the three that Marluxia had ordered to protect her, yet Sora, Donald and Goofy, who were the most distrusting of the Nobodies, hadn’t noticed.

“Yes, I know,” Ruby murmured to the Nobody beside her when it told her that her father was now expecting her to get Sora to the town, that Flynn called a Kingdom. If the entirety of the Kingdom was comprised of that one town around the castle then it was smaller than the Kingdom of Vale. The Nobody beside her gave her a look, despite the fact that its hood hid any face it may have had. Ruby blinked in surprise, at what it told her, but she couldn’t ask it a return question as Sora called out to her. More Heartless.

“All the better to practice on,” she hummed before she took Miló and Akoúo̱ from her back again and held them up. Her father’s Nobody disappeared, likely to hide where it wouldn’t become the next victim of Sora’s Keyblade.

_“Fire!”_ Ruby called out, pointing Miló forward at a Heartless that looked like a dandelion puff. Sora ran in after her spell and cut the creature of darkness down. She hated to admit it, but the young reaper was enjoying her battles against the Heartless with Sora. It was good practice, and she wasn’t so alone.

“Why do you only use the lowest level of that spell?” Sora asked after the fight was over. Ruby glanced over her shoulder before looking back down at Pyrrha’s weapons. She smiled sheepishly at Sora, giving into her carefree nature, knowing this was likely going to be her only chance to do so.

“I’m kinda new to magic,” she laughed, before twisting her tongue to form a lie from her truth. “Didn’t seem too important before now, I only just started experimenting again.”

She felt bad when Sora accepted that as her answer without question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confession time!!! Perhaps you have noticed, but the chapter count has increased from 31 to 32! That is right, this chapter and the next chapter were meant to be the same chapter! Because of how long the document became though, I decided to split it at a point near the middle where the sections changed between each other. In a way, this chapter is actually "He Was Almost TOO Cheerful - Part 1" but I didn't put that as the title, and gave it to the next chapter instead.
> 
> Xigbar: But... but Arya!!! You've pushed back my awesome assistance by a chapter!!  
Marluxia: Is that really a bad thing?  
Xigbar: Of course it is! It is a terrible thing!! A terrible, TERRIBLE thing!  
Marluxia: ... I remain unconvinced.  
Xigbar: As IF! You know just as well as I that my help is important!
> 
> ANYWAY - Ruby is hanging out with Sora. What on earth am I planning I wonder? .... something that was meant to take a single chapter but ended up taking two. That's what. But, now that it has taken that extra chapter, I am happy that it has slipped into that second chapter. Thanks to several friends on Discord for convincing me to type without paying attention to my word count - it came out far more naturally then trying to force it all into my usual word count.
> 
> IF YOU CAN CATCH THE RANDOM REFERENCE I THREW INTO THE CHAPTER MENTION IT IN THE COMMENTS! In the notes of the next chapter - I will list who actually caught the reference and I will answer ONE question about this story from each person who pointed out the correct reference! It was a funny little conversation I had with my boyfriend, which ended in the reference being added.
> 
> \- - - - -
> 
> This is getting frustrating. I need to come up with a proper plan this time…  
_error_  
Still not working? What did he do?


	23. He Was Almost TOO Cheerful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She didn't realise just how tight the leash around her neck was.  
_“Thank-you Sora, but… you don’t understand anything”_

_Her father had placed the woman, Gothel, under a spell._ That was what the Nobody had told Ruby. The young reaper knew that the game she was playing was ever more dangerous now, and she did acknowledge that it was a game; Ruby was under no pretence that she would be staying with Sora and his friends for any longer than it took for them to reach the Kingdom. There was much that could reveal her unwilling connection to the Organisation.

For example; the wrapped up Reaper Nobody, disguised as a strange flower, which the group had just encountered, in the middle of the forest, which was certainly going to end up as the next fight. What a curious position Ruby was now put in, as Sora rolled forward to dodge the attack the Nobody tried to get him with when it unfurled. The boy’s eyes widened and briefly flicker to Ruby, before he summoned his Keyblade. Ruby also pulled Pyrrha’s weapons off her back, but she didn’t rush forward into the battle, even as more Nobodies leaped out of nowhere, even as Rapunzel and Flynn ran off in retreat.

Heartless she could fight, and would happily do so with her eyes closed. The Reaper Nobodies however… she could hear them, they were telling her what her father wanted her to do; take Sora and the Princess to the Kingdom, but at the same time, she heard them cry out as they fell to the Keyblade in the boy’s hands. Ruby’s hand clenched around Miló as she dodged an attack from one of the reaper Nobodies’ scythes; she wasn’t trying to fight them, and by the way the Nobodies threw easy attacks at her, they weren’t trying to fight her either. The young teen just hoped that Sora didn’t notice.

Unfortunately for her, while Sora didn’t say anything, Donald did. The duck, the moment the fight was finished, pointed his wand at Ruby.

“Were you leading us into a trap?” he demanded, ignoring Sora who tried to stop him. Ruby looked at Donald, then at Goofy, and then finally at Sora. The whispered command from the Nobody who remained at her side was ‘lie’, and she knew that she had to, but… Could she force the words from her lips? The young reaper took a step backwards, eyes widening as Donald shook his wand at her. Sora, Donald and Goofy were now staring at Ruby and her Nobody companion.

_“L̵̝͆i̴̟͂e̸͇”_

She had to, didn’t she? She wanted to tell the truth, but the truth wouldn’t help. Silently she cursed Xemnas for placing her in this position. With a sigh, Ruby quickly formed the lie in her mind, mixing in some truths to make it more believable, probably.

“I… I can hear what the Nobodies are saying,” Ruby stated with a swallow, pulling out the truth first. “And they… they cried out when they died. That’s why this one follows me, because I can understand him. I found him a few days ago and he has been following me ever since. My father didn’t think he was bad, and he keeps me safe too.”

She ended her lie by looking away, gripping her arm and closing her eyes so that Sora and his friends couldn’t see her guilt at her lie. Ruby’s mouth was dry, but she couldn’t swallow, not until the trio that she was travelling with believed her lie. That knowledge made her mouth dry further.

After a few moments, Goofy spoke first, breaking the tension in the clearing with sound logic that made relief flood through Ruby.

“Gawarsh Ruby, you prob’ly didn’t know,” he said, making Ruby look up in surprise at his kindness. “It’s perfectly understandable that you wouldn’t want to fight them then.”

Tears sprung into Ruby’s silver eyes, the lie had worked and she felt horrible, but all she could do was smile.

“Thanks, Goofy,” she murmured. Sora smiled at the girl, showing her that he too believed her, even Donald relaxed. That was too easy, far too easy, was Sora really this trusting?

“But you know who uses Nobodies…” Goofy hummed, looking at his two friends. The mage’s hands clenched into fists again as he realised the train of the guard’s thought. 

“The Organisation!”

“Yeah, I’m surprised we haven’t seen them,” Sora commented, before looking around. Ruby jumped in shock when the boy suddenly called out into the air. “I know you’re there! Come out, you has-beens!”

Even as the trio looked around, Ruby looked forward to the place where she sensed her father’s dark portal right before it appeared. Out of the corridor stepped Marluxia, false smirk on his face. He glanced at Ruby briefly, causing her to shiver.

“’Has-beens’?” he asked with amusement as he walked forward, letting the dark corridor behind him fall closed. “Now why would you say that?”

“Because,” Sora said in a carefree manner that made Ruby cringe. “Bossing around Nobodies? That’s the old Organisation. Why? Are you in the ‘real’ one too? Good for you.”

Though she had expected that Sora wouldn’t act too kindly around her father, she wasn’t prepared for the outright disrespect, and her silver eyes widened in surprise. Didn’t Sora understand her dad’s motiva_ she cut off that thought as she recalled every time she had shot something smart or witty at Roman Torchwick, at the White Fang, even at Xigbar at times? Was this how they felt when she snarked at them? It was simply a matter of a lack of respect. Ruby didn’t respect the White Fang or Roman Torchwick, Sora didn’t respect the Organisation. It was as simple as that.

That didn’t mean that listening to Sora didn’t hurt.

“My name is Marluxia,” the Nobody replied to Sora, not reacting to the mocking tone that the brown haired boy had taken. “And yes, that is correct. How interesting it is to see you again… Sora.”

Even as Sora questioned what Marluxia could have possibly meant by _again_, Ruby was more interested in the way her father’s face had hardened slightly when speaking to this boy. There was talk of memories, ones that Sora, Donald and Goofy had forgotten, but Marluxia remembered and with a stunning horror creeping up her back, Ruby realised that her father was talking about _Castle Oblivion._

“Now, if you’ll permit me, I’ve come to ask a favour.”

Her father’s voice changed the direction of the conversation quickly, drawing Ruby’s attention back to his smirk. His voice, expressionless as it was, calmed Ruby and let the young teen pull together a mask while the trio she was following wasn’t paying attention. Everything would be fine; even as Sora started to refuse, even as Marluxia made his request to Sora and his two friends. Ruby convinced herself even as her father continued to speak.

“All the Organisation seeks is balance,” he stated, forcing Ruby to withhold a snort of disgust. “You must understand, our ultimate objective is not to clash with the light. We seek to complement it. Use that Keyblade… to keep Rapunzel safe.”

He smirked before turning to Ruby, glancing at the reaper Nobody floating beside her.

“You really shouldn’t get too close to these three, child,” he said in a tone that held a warning. “You’ll only find yourself hurt later.”

Marluxia didn’t give his daughter time to respond before he disappeared within a swirl of darkness once more. Ruby let out a hiss of frustration. She knew that! He didn’t need to remind her! Though somehow his words seemed to draw Sora to her side, which was a bonus, her father hadn’t given her away at least. Fear flooded through the young reaper and she quickly took a step away from the boy. She realised her father was right, she was getting attached. With a shaky breath, Ruby wondered how she would get to the end of this without hurting Sora… all she had to do was disappear once he and Rapunzel had gotten to the Kingdom. Simple… right?

“You shouldn’t listen to him, Ruby,” Sora said resolutely. “He’s wrong! We’d never hurt you!”

_But I might_, Ruby thought even as she smiled at the boy. She should leave now, Sora could make it on his own, and he had Donald and Goofy. Her father would understand; he wanted her to leave Sora alone. The rational part of her mind told Ruby to leave and not look back.

Her irrational side however craved this freedom this task gave her. The noose of guilt tightened further around her neck.

◇◆◇◆◇

When they encountered Madame Gothel, Ruby’s breath caught in her throat. This was the woman whom her father had cast a spell on. She didn’t comment on Sora’s musings about the darkness that was pursuing Rapunzel. 

When they found Rapunzel and Flynn again, Ruby forced a laugh out of her mouth when she was introduced to Maximus. The horse was a true character and she enjoyed meeting him, but the joy she felt was now a stab in the heart.

When they finally reached the Kingdom of Corona, Ruby sighed in relief. She had gotten Sora, Donald, Goofy and the Princess to the Kingdom, she could leave now, and she justified it too. It was so easy to justify.

“Really, I need to get back to my dad, he gave me a job. I can’t go into the town, that’s too far off course.”

When Sora, Donald, Goofy, Rapunzel and Flynn waved goodbye before walking over the bridge into the Kingdom, Ruby’s heart broke. But she smiled anyway. She had managed to complete her task without hurting Sora. The Superior had nothing to complain about, she had done what her father had asked and she wasn’t ‘joining the Guardians’. Everything would be fine. Now she had to find Marluxia.

◇◆◇◆◇

Marluxia watched as his daughter walked away from where she had left Sora. He didn’t like the expression on her face. It was conflicted, and that wasn’t a look that he wanted to see on her face. He should have kept her closer to his side instead of sending her after Sora. It was a faint taste of forbidden freedom that Xemnas would somehow tear away. The Graceful Assassin wondered how as Ruby spotted him. When she ran up to him, he pulled her into a hug.

“You did well,” he murmured into her ear, running his gloved fingers through her hair. Ruby shivered against him, and Marluxia sighed as he pulled away. “Later I will be meeting Sora here. You should remain in the forest so that he doesn’t see you again. There will be floating lanterns sent into the sky tonight, you can watch from the shoreline if you wish.”

He knew he was being cold, but what else could he do? Xemnas had him trapped, just as much as Ruby was. But… he didn’t leave Ruby’s side as they walked into the trees, he sat next to her on one of the lower branches and together they waited out the rest of the day in silence. There was nothing to say. Perhaps Ruby could have practiced more magic, or sparred with the Nobody that was still following her, but she didn’t move, and Marluxia didn’t push her away. The pink haired Nobody had missed out on fifteen years of his daughter’s life, yet somehow he knew; this was likely the first time since her mother had died that she was content to just sit and do nothing for hours.

And then the lights began. Ruby had fallen asleep on his shoulder, so Marluxia woke her up, pointing to the sky. For a few moments he let the murmurs of Lauriam show a smile as Ruby gasped in delight at the floating lanterns. This is what it should have been, and it was how he let it be for the minutes that followed until he saw the boat of Rapunzel and Flynn come ashore. Again he sighed.

“Sweetheart,” he murmured, pushing Lauriam away again as he placed his hand on Ruby’s shoulder. “Stay here, do not follow me. I will return in a moment.”

“… Okay, dad,” the girl whispered in response. Marluxia looked back at his daughter once before teleporting away. He had a task to do. But minutes later he was appearing before the blonde princess, taunting her.

“Oh dear…” he drawled as he reappeared in a swirl of darkness. “He’s run off with the crown and forgotten you.”

The girl, this Princess, tried to deny it, and for one moment he thought he was seeing Naminé, before he pushed that aside. He had his task from Xehanort, so he pressed on. His words were unheeded so he called up his Nobodies and the girl ran off. With the Madame Gothel under his thrall however, she was easily called back, to the sound of her false mother calling. He was gone again when the Princess returned, to give to the illusion that Gothel had defeated him. Such an easy farce. 

And when Sora appeared just moments after Gothel had started to lead the Princess away, he was there once again, to stop the boy.

“Show some decorum,” he faux-scolded the boy, as he would have scolded Ruby for bouncing around in front of someone like General Ironwood or Headmaster Ozpin. He explained Rapunzel’s importance as if he were lecturing his students again. The Organisation’s objective on this world was shared as if he were mocking his most hated enemy. Sora was none of these, he was just a boy, but this was what Marluxia’s task called for. The Keyblade appeared in Sora’s hand the moment the boy realised the truth.

“Hmph. I just knew you would go and make a scene,” the elder reaper smirked. “Very well, then_”

“Wait! No!!”

Marluxia stopped, and sighed as Ruby burst from the trees, a panicked look on her face. He had tried to stop his daughter, tried to protect her from this pain, but it seems she would choose to inflict it on herself. Something inside him broke as Ruby threw herself in front of Sora, silver eyes wide. She was breathing heavily even as she held her arms out wide.

“Please don’t!” she begged. Marluxia closed his eyes, listening to Sora speak out in shock, trying to get the black haired girl to step aside. The pink haired Nobody crossed his arms over his chest.

“Ruby, you know why you cannot be standing there,” he said firmly, as he opened his eyes, watching as his daughter took a step back; her arms falling to her side. “And you know why I must proceed. There is no freedom of choice here. Now come.”

“Ruby, no! Don’t go to him!” Sora called out. “There is always a choice!”

His non-existent heart felt heavy as he watched the revelation wash over Ruby, first her pain, then anger, which slowly grew into fury, before she quashed it down with silent resignation. The young teen clenched her fist at her side before she looked over her shoulder at the Keyblade wielder.

“Thank-you Sora, but… you don’t understand anything,” she murmured before she walked over to her father’s side. “I must stand with my dad. He is correct; there is no freedom of choice here. I should never have helped you.”

“Ruby_!!” the boy gasped, realising her betrayal, before stopping when Marluxia took a step so that Ruby was behind him, a most protective move on the Nobody’s behalf.

“I am afraid that it’s lights out for you,” Marluxia stated, his tone something closer to a growl. Sora’s mouth dropped, stunned at the display of emotion from the Nobody who had acted apathetic towards everything. As the Graceful Assassin sent a wind of sleep magic at Sora, he saw a greater revelation forming on the boy’s face.

“Ru… by… why…?” he muttered as he fell forward. “Wha… does… Xem… nas… have on you…?”

The boy was asleep before he hit the ground. Marluxia looked at him for a moment before he brought his arm around Ruby. He summoned a Corridor of Darkness and led his daughter through it, throwing parting words over his shoulder, faint sneer on his face.

“You always were such a sound sleeper…”

◇◆◇◆◇

Ruby cried in his arms for a good hour after they left the corridor and came out deeper in the forest. She apologised a lot as well. Marluxia just sat there, rubbing her back as she cried, waiting for her to calm down. He understood, in a manner of speaking, because it was almost the same thing he felt when he was trying to find excuses to visit Summer. He hadn’t found any however, he had been thoroughly trapped.

“There is a leash that has us snared,” Marluxia murmured into his daughter’s ear as he held her just a bit tighter. “We can’t fight it, not directly. We need to work around it. Do not give up, Sweetheart. Use every tool at your disposal.”

Something seemed to click in Ruby’s mind, because she froze in his arms for a moment before she looked up at him, silver eyes sparkling with a new determination. With gentle hands, Marluxia wiped away his daughter’s tears with his glove, before he placed his hand on her head. A resolution was reached between the two and they smirked at each other, a look which promised retribution against Xemnas.

Speaking of the man… Marluxia sensed his portal, golden eyes shifting to the side, Ruby’s eyes following before he placed a faux-smile on his face.

“You did well Ruby,” he said in a slightly louder and flatter tone. “I was especially pleased by the way you broke his heart before he succumbed to my spell.”

Xemnas walked out of his portal applauding. Both father and daughter shifted unimpressed looks upon him.

“Yes, a marvellous display,” he congratulated, though Marluxia wasn’t fooled by his tone. “The heart can be folly and lead one to trust someone they shouldn’t be trusting. Perhaps our dear Keyblade Wielder will have learned his lesson, unlikely though that outcome may be. Perhaps you know why, little Ruby. Tell me; what are your thoughts on him, having travelled with him today?”

Marluxia glanced at his daughter, who seemed to consider her answer, watching as she steeled her resolve, before she made her reply.

“He was almost too cheerful,” she assessed flippantly, impressing her father, for she almost sounded like Weiss when she spoke. Xemnas smirked, pleased with her answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is what was meant to take one chapter but ended up taking two! Betrayal and even more reason to sharpen our stakes in preparation to take down Xemnas. But remember - can't do it in plain sight, there is a tight leash on Ruby. She needs to smarten up.
> 
> Xigbar: Is it my turn yet?  
Marluxia: Why, Xigbar, you almost sound impatient!  
Xigbar: AS IF! I just know that MY help in this fanfic will be really important!  
Marluxia: Is that so? I thought you were merely-- *is silenced as Xigbar covers his mouth*  
Xigbar: You idiot! No spoilers! Isn't that what you said ages ago!?
> 
> I finally got to one of the scenes I have been waiting to write for AGES! You would not believe! Ruby getting that smack realisation that she is trapped in Xemnas' snare far more than she ever knew, via her unintentionally betraying Sora. She forgot the one thing she wasn't meant to do, and that was get attached. Ruby needs to work a bit harder to truly slip her leash. But she is determined.
> 
> And if you read this far in my notes: I have gone back through this story and updated most of the prior chapers, fixing up issues which annoyed me, adding bits that make the story flow better, and just bringing out the Marluxia/Summer tag a bit more. It was a bit of a task to get done, but it is done now, and I hope you take the time to go back and read the updates ^^ I've come far from the writer who started this fanfic without a clear idea.
> 
> \- - - - -
> 
> "̵̹̈M̴̠͌y̸͚͌ ̵͈̿l̷̗͂ǐ̵͙t̶̮̕t̷̩̔l̸͙͆e̷̪͌ ̵̠̃d̷͍͛i̶̳̒ș̶̑ṯ̵̛r̶̲a̶͖͒c̴̻͘t̷̬̅ḯ̴͖o̶͎͠n̸̹̈ ̴̱̐w̵̥̋ȍ̴̱r̸̭͠k̵̟̑ë̷̩́d̷͙͘ ̷̘̕ĩ̴̢ṭ̸ ̸͓̚s̶͉̊é̶͍e̴͙̽m̵̛̫s̸̝͛.̵̛͇ ̸̘̓G̸͕͒o̶̠͛o̴̼͑d̷̞͒,̷̬̆ ̷̛̪ṋ̷͆o̷͗͜w̵̺̽,̷͎̕ ̷̲͐I̷̮͐ ̶̟͌n̶̨̓e̸͈̽e̵̛̞d̵̨̈́ ̷̹̈́t̵̲͝o̴͚̓ ̸͈̿s̵͇̈́e̸͇͗t̵̯̏ ̷͙̀ả̸͜b̷̝̾o̵̳͆u̵̘̔t̶̡̽ ̷͖̐r̷̥̔e̵̳̋-̷͔̂p̴͓͊u̸͚͘r̶̦͛p̶͔̒o̸͈͑s̴̞̓i̶̢͛n̵̞g̵̳̎ ̶̦̉L̸͍͋u̸͚͛ẋ̷͕u̷̿͜.̷̰̈́.̴̢͘.̸͚̓ ̸̙̓t̵̛̬h̴̛̬e̷̻̕n̴̨̄ ̴̱̈́I̴͒͜ ̷̦̇c̶̣̚a̴̲͠n̵̖̈ ̶̼͝ḡ̷̥ȩ̸̊t̷̮̓ ̴̲͝ȉ̶̩n̵̠͠ ̸̡͝a̵̯͗n̷̤̊d̵̖̚ ̵͉̽ẽ̶͚r̸̥͝a̶̬͌s̶͝ͅḙ̸͂ ̴̞͆R̵̙̋u̶̦̽b̸̬͊ẙ̵̯.̵̣̍.̸̙.̸̻"̷̥̈́ 


	24. Choices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes the right choice isn't an option, sometimes the only choice is the one that you don't want to choose.

“Are you certain then?” Marluxia asked Ruby as they walked together through the forest. “You cannot use your semblance here?”

It was still night time, so the father-daughter duo was walking to where they needed to be next. It would be a while before Sora would awaken from the sleep spell cast on him. The pair were discussing a more personal problem than any issue of the Organisation’s; Ruby’s missing semblance.

“I tried using several times while fighting Heartless with Sora,” Ruby replied, and then she held out her hand, as if to show Marluxia something. “And before I met him too, while sparring with the reaper Nobodies, I couldn’t use my semblance. I can’t even activate my Aura. It’s like… everything that I had on Remnant; it’s almost as if it doesn’t exist out here? The dust bullets I have too, when I tried using fire dust, the effect was closer to a Firaza spell, than an actual dust bullet.”

“That sounds dangerous,” Marluxia commented, only to smile demurely when his daughter gave him a flat glare. Obviously it was dangerous. Ruby was all too aware of that. The experiment had almost exploded in her face after all, had the reaper Nobodies not pulled her away from danger. It was proof of the old stories, that the elements could not truly be controlled. Dust put them in a form that could be harnessed, but it was only a confinement, without the laws of Remnant holding it back, dust was just as chaotic as their elements.

“Perhaps it could be of use to use,” her father said thoughtfully, as he brought a gloved hand up to his chin. “But only after you worked out how to direct it… yes, I think your studies of magic will help you there.”

“Dust is a limited resource though,” the younger reaper sighed, tilting her head. “So it won’t be useful for long after I start using it.”

In the middle of the forest they both stopped and turned to each other. Rather, Ruby turned to her father expectantly, her eyebrow raised in a manner that imitated him, though little did she know, she was also imitating her mum at the same time. Her father was silent for a few moments more before he turned to regard her with appraisal. The younger reaper tilted her head to the side curiously, but didn’t speak.

“Do you trust Xigbar?” Marluxia asked dryly, as if it were related to the conversation they were just having. Maybe it was, but it was a bit of a random question to Ruby. She closed her eyes to think about it. It was a serious question which deserved a serious answer. The question brought to mind the memory that came to her in the middle of the day.

_“You take up every tool at your disposal, don’t ya Spitfire?”_

“He hasn’t yet made me a promise that he hasn’t kept,” she finally said. There was a pregnant pause, where Marluxia stared at her as if waiting for her to say more, but Ruby didn’t give him the answer he was looking for. The Nobody sighed.

“That doesn’t answer my question,” Marluxia hummed, closing his eyes. The young reaper snorted and rolled her eyes. “I thought I told you that trust was a yes or no question.”

“But I do trust him,” Ruby replied earnestly, much to her father’s surprise, as she looked at him imploringly. “Xigbar would never willingly break his promises. Not to me. That’s not who he is. It’s just…”

Here, Ruby trailed off, her hand coming up to her arm, as if to tug at something that wasn’t there. Marluxia waited for her to continue, letting his daughter work out her thoughts. The teen closed her silver eyes and sighed before she looked back up at her father.

“I suppose I just… trusting him hurts,” she admitted softly. “I trust him, but somewhere in the back of my mind is the fear that one day I’ll wake up and he’ll be pointing a Keyblade at me, and he would be hurt to know that I have that fear.”

“Sweetheart, Xigbar doesn’t have a Keyblade,” the pink haired Nobody commented. “He can’t point what he doesn’t have. How do you know he won’t point his arrowguns at you? How do you know he will keep his promises?”

Ruby shrugged, looking a little lost as she shifted her head to the side. Looking around, Marluxia quickly assessed the surrounding areas before he closed the distance between himself and his daughter and pulled her into a hug. The teen sighed and rested her head against his chest.

“I think he saved me once,” Ruby murmured. “Just after mum died… I was lost in Vale and he found me.”

“How do you know it was him?”

“He called me Spitfire.”

They were silent for a few moments, just standing there. The light of the forest changed as the moon reached its peak in the sky. Ruby smiled as more of the memory came back to her. She remembered how she had run away from Bá, and Xigbar<strike>Braig</strike> had found her. While he hadn’t known where she lived, he stayed with her until he had found out with the help of the Vale Police. Briefly, the teen wondered if she had ever truly distrusted Xigbar, or if she had just been claiming that. Her thoughts cut off when she realised that her dad was watching her.

“Very well,” he hummed. “You trust Xigbar. What if I told you that he said he would get you some help that he apparently can’t provide? Do you trust that then?”

“Of course!” Ruby gasped, her eyes going wide. Marluxia sighed, a faint look of defeat crossing his face as he took a step back. He looked his daughter over before he waved a hand, seemingly accepting the reality that Ruby trusted a man he was still certain he would kill when he had the excuse and chance to. However that conversation ended, the pause following was short before Ruby changed the subject, something spawned from her observing the clearing.

“Would you like me to hold up Sora here when he comes through?” Ruby asked quietly.

“How do you know Sora will come this way?” Marluxia asked in turn, though from his expression, Ruby knew his true question was ‘why is she offering her help?’ The younger reaper wasn’t too certain herself, even as she raised her right hand to touch the edge of Akoúo̱. If she concentrated she could almost trick herself into believing that Pyrrha was there. Silver eyes met gold, with a wavering expression which spoke of doubt yet had the heat of frustration from knowledge that Xemnas was likely watching. She didn’t want to, but if she was truly to get away from the white haired Nobody’s notice, she needed to entertain him enough to turn his gaze away.

Marluxia knew what she was doing; she knew he did, because he had done the exact same thing. He stared at Ruby for a few moments before he nodded. The answer to his spoken question was rather obvious, and he seemed to accept her unspoken answer.

“Pass me Summer’s journal,” he said quietly, randomly, confusing Ruby even as she took the book from where it hung on her belt and handed it to him. Her father opened it and flipped to an entry near the back before he seemingly plucked a petal from thin air, having summoned it, and placed it between the pages as a bookmark. Then he closed the book and handed it back. Ruby opened her mouth to ask when he turned away, looking over his shoulder.

“Read that while waiting here,” he instructed in a voice that was amused, a tone that didn’t match the unsettled look in his eyes. “It may help you. And do not engage Sora, just send some Nobodies at him, then meet me at the tower.”

Before Ruby could reply, he disappeared into a Corridor of Darkness, leaving his daughter with her new task. Before she could curse Xemnas out loud however, Ruby opened the book to where her father had placed the petal. Her eyes widened when she saw it was an entry that Marluxia had written himself. Sighing sharply, she looked around and found a tree she could climb up to read. It would still be a while until Sora showed up after all.

◇◆◇◆◇

She had read the entry several times by the time morning was breaking over the forest. Every time it felt like a cold chill running down her spine. When she put the book down again she felt she finally understood what her father was trying to tell her, especially with his question about her trusting Xigbar, and finally she said out loud the words she needed to solidify her resolve.

“Sora is my enemy,” Ruby murmured, before shaking her head and slapping her cheeks. She tried again, louder with more confidence. “Sora is _my_ enemy. My side in this war was chosen for me, and I will help my dad to the best of my ability.”

_And,_ she added with a smirk in her mind as she returned her mother’s journal to its place on her belt, _I will trust that Luxu will bring that help dad said he promised. Xemnas, I will not dance to your strings. Watch me._

Stretching her legs, Ruby touched the fox mask hidden under her cap as she shifted her position to be crouching on the tree branch she had been sitting on. She grabbed Miló, shifting it to its rifle form and waited for Sora. No better time to test dust bullets, right?

_“T̵h̷a̸t̴ ̶i̶s̷ ̵n̷o̸t̷ ̵a̸ ̶g̷o̵o̷d̶ ̶i̶d̸e̶a̴.̵”_

Ruby snorted and shot the Reaper Nobody at her side a glare. She was choosing to be slightly reckless today. The sound of hooves alerted both the girl and her Nobody companion to the approach of Maximus with his… four riders. The young reaper snorted as she saw the horse was straining.

“Is that really the smartest mode of transport?” Ruby asked out loud as she waved her hand forward, somehow knowing that the Reaper Nobodies would follow her command. The creatures appeared in front of the group, stopping Maximus in his path, though she watched as Sora, Donald and Goofy jumped off and urged Flynn and the horse forward. The young reaper ignored Flynn and Maximus though; her task was specifically to distract Sora.

Raising Miló to her shoulder so that she could aim at the boy below her, Ruby wondered for a moment if it was possible for Sora to forgive her, but she shook that thought away. She could not let Xemnas find any reason to use her against her dad. Unfortunately though, Sora spotted her.

“Ruby!!” he called, jumping back as one of the Nobodies flew at him. “Help us stop Xemnas!!”

_“I̵f̶ ̴y̴o̶u̵ ̴a̷r̵e̵ ̷g̸o̵i̶n̵g̴ ̵t̵o̵ ̸u̴s̸e̷ ̴t̵h̴e̶ ̶d̷u̴s̸t̴,̷ ̶s̴h̷o̸u̴t̴ ̵o̶u̷t̸ ̴t̴h̸e̷ ̸s̸p̴e̶l̸l̸.”_

A spell? Her words to her father earlier came back to her. _The effect was closer to a Firaza spell._ Would that really work? She didn’t really have another plan so she shrugged. Her silver eyes met Sora’s blue-green eyes. Weren’t his eyes blue when they met? For a brief moment time seemed to freeze in place and she could see his desperate plea for her to stop; however Ruby had already made her choice. 

_“Firaza!”_ she called out as she pulled Miló’s trigger. Sora’s eyes widened as the half spell worked partially as intended. A blazing streak of fire arced from the weapon in her hands, like a bullet if it had fiery energy swirling around it. The damage caused was immense because Sora jumped out of the way. As the fire began to burn, Ruby jumped from her tree and ran in the direction of Rapunzel’s tower. She ignored the voices behind her, one a desperate plea, the other two calls of anger.

◇◆◇◆◇

Marluxia stood in the shadows as he observed the tower where Rapunzel was being kept. A few minutes before he had watched as Flynn Rider scaled the wall upwards. The sound of running footsteps turned his attention to the forest where Flynn had come from, and from the trees he saw Ruby, her eyes wide as she flew over the grass to crash into his arms. The young teen clung to him silently without a sound, but her grip was tight and she was shaking. Miló was dropped to the grassy floor.

“Sora will be along once he puts out the fire.”

The words floated up from the girl, making Marluxia raise his eyebrow. So it was not tears of regret making her shake, but adrenaline then? What she meant by fire however, the Nobody didn’t know, and something told him he didn’t want to know either. So instead of asking, he raised his gloved hand and rested it on top of Ruby’s black hair, taking a moment to marvel at the red tips of each strand. If he looked close enough he could see that some of the red at the ends of strands were actually the same pink as his own hair. With a small sigh he dragged his mind back to the task on hand.

“Well done,” he said quietly, causing his daughter to look up at him. “We shall wait here until he comes, and then you and I will be done here.”

“Really?” Ruby asked, her silver eyes lighting up with delight. “Where are we needed next?”

“We will be reporting to Xemnas and he will tell us.”

Ruby rolled her eyes, muttering an insult to the white haired Nobody under her breath which made Marluxia smirk in amusement. He ruffled his daughter’s hair. He opened his mouth to say more when a few things happened at once. First there was a great burst of darkness that came from the top of the tower which caused Ruby to spin around in shock while Marluxia merely looked up. The second was Sora running into the clearing which was surrounded by cliffs. Finally, Gothel was pushed from the window at the top of the tower. Marluxia’s eyes narrowed at the woman, even as she faded, the magic holding her body together dissipating.

“Fallen to darkness…” he muttered with irritation. “We can’t allow her near our pure light now. Her presence would only cast a pall over it.”

His frown deepened, even as he held out his hand slightly, calling upon darkness to drag the Heartless beast out of the remnants of Gothel’s magic. The creature that formed caused Ruby to gasp quietly with horror. It really was a grotesque sight; the beast looked like some kind of tree like chimera after all. Marluxia placed his hand on Ruby’s shoulder and tugged her away as Sora summoned his Keyblade.

“We aren’t required here anymore,” he murmured in her ear. “Sora will do what he does best, and we will go find Xemnas.”

Ruby nodded and followed after him, though Marluxia noticed that she flinched when she heard the battle start. She didn’t say a word or stop walking however. It seemed she had made and accepted her choice. A burst of savage pride wormed its way into the older reaper’s heart, and knowing his daughter, she hadn’t given up; she had taken a step back and was assessing her options. 

◇◆◇◆◇

They had walked a fair distance, and had found themselves in the tavern in the forest when Ruby suddenly ran forward towards something. Marluxia looked up to see the familiar blonde head of Jaune Arc, stumbling around the forest, most likely looking for the black haired girl who ran at him.

“Jaune!!” 

The boy turned around just in time to catch the girl as she crashed into him, arms wrapping around his neck. Marluxia allowed himself a smile as he trailed after his daughter. Xigbar had pulled through it seemed. However there was something… off about Jaune…

“CHIRI!”

The screech of something came from Jaune’s… shadow? From the ground at the boy’s feet, a Heartless appeared. It was the size of a child, had a ragged hood and scarf, striped pants and clawed gloves with red tipped fingers. It launched itself at Ruby, yet somehow, Marluxia knew… _this was Lauriam’s Heartless._ This Heartless, he seemed to inspect Ruby, before perching upon the girl’s shoulder. It was a strange experience to meet your own Heartless. Marluxia wondered if Xemnas had felt the same meeting Ansem, but then pushed it aside. Xemnas was the true definition of emotionless.

“Lauriam,” he hummed, making the Heartless look up at him. Bright yellow eyes met set gold. 

“Marluxia.”

A frown formed on Ruby’s face and it was noticeable. Her silver eyes glinted with a hard light as she crossed her arms over her chest. First the teen set a glare upon the Heartless on her shoulder, making the creature flinch backwards, before fixing her glare upon the Nobody beside her. Marluxia felt a chill run down his spine, recognising the look as one that Summer used to give him. Ruby was about to voice her displeasure.

“You are both two halves of the same whole,” she snapped. “Marluxia and Lauriam are the same person. I will not hear a word against it. Lauriam is just as much Marluxia as Marluxia is Lauriam. If you were not, then you would never have come to Remnant after your defeat at Castle Oblivion. If Lauriam truly was not Marluxia, then you would not have had anything to do with me, because I am the daughter of Marluxia and Summer Rose. If Lauriam wanted to detach himself from Marluxia, then I am a part of that, and Marluxia would have been made a liar. Get your head out of the sand and open your eyes dad! I am right here and I am tired of being afraid of rejection.”

There was a few moments of silence after Ruby finished speaking, before the Heartless on her shoulders made a sad sound. Marluxia stared at his daughter with wide gold eyes, not quite believing that she had just said that. He… wasn’t Lauriam, but why did his chest ache at her words? Jaune sighed before he looked up at Marluxia.

“Alright, this ends now,” he said. “You will decide which name you will be called here and now; Lauriam or Marluxia? Tell me which one and I will call you it, now, and once you are recompleted; so think carefully before you chose.”

The boy shot a significant look at the Heartless on Ruby’s shoulder as well, who merely stared back impassively. Jaune wanted Marluxia to choose which name. The Heartless… Lauriam, no, _his Heartless_, turned his yellow gaze to the Nobody as well. A sneer briefly flashed onto the pink haired man’s face before he looked back at Jaune.

“Marluxia. That is who I am.”

Jaune gave the Nobody an appraising look before shrugging and muttering something under his breath, which sounded like “can’t take that back later”, before he turned back to Ruby.

“Xigbar came to Remnant and showed me how to open a portal with Croce_ I mean Starlight,” he said, as if choosing to move the conversation on, which he most likely was. “Then he went off and said that he had one more person to get or something. He asked me to find you and then meet him in the town around the castle.”

Marluxia picked out a word that sounded so… familiar to him yet he didn’t know it, but the question came from his mouth in his confusion.

“Starlight?”

“Yes, you told Qrow that Crocea Mors was a Keyblade,” Jaune replied, looking up. “And your Heartless told me that it was called Starlight. I… would actually like to know how he knew my great grandfather’s name…”

“… and what is your great grandfather’s name?” Marluxia asked, almost hesitantly. Did he actually want to know? The blonde teen seemed to consider him for a moment.

“Ephemer Arc.”

_ <strike>“Don’t worry about it. I’m Ephemer!”</strike> _

_ <strike>“It might just be a friendly competition, but I don’t like the thought of wielders fighting each other.”</strike> _

_ <strike>“Come with me tomorrow, Lauriam! You can ask my friend your questions.”</strike> _

The next thing that Marluxia was aware of was the splitting pain in his head and the fact that he had been driven to his knees while gripping his head. Ruby and Jaune were hovering beside him calling his name with worry. The Heartless, _his Heartless,_ was in front of him, staring at him, almost asking if he remembered. No. He didn’t. Marluxia drew his attention back to the two teens, Ruby who looked far more fearfully worried than Jaune’s concern. 

“Dad… did you know Jaune’s great grandpa?” Ruby asked softly, as she placed her hand on her father’s shoulder. Marluxia gripped her hand before allowing the two teens to help him up.

“I think… he was a friend,” Marluxia whispered, pressing his other hand to his head. “I don’t… recall…”

The two teens exchanged a glance while the Nobody shook himself. They seemed to silently argue, but they didn’t get the chance to say whatever was on their mind because Marluxia looked at them both and seemed to appraise them. Ruby and Jaune watched the man as he thought quietly. He looked first at them, and then he looked to the Reaper Nobody that had not left Ruby’s side. Then he made a decision. 

“Alright, so you two need to meet Xigbar in the Kingdom,” he said. “I don’t trust him… but if I had to choose between him and Xemnas, I’d rather you were with Xigbar than the Superior. I will go to Xemnas, so if you two decided to run to a different world, I won’t know.”

It was an invitation for the pair to try run. His Lesser Nobody was still following Ruby, so Xemnas would hopefully be satisfied and not kill Ruby immediately. He looked at Ruby, a warning in his golden eyes, and his daughter nodded in response before she dragged Jaune off.

◇◆◇◆◇

_A harsh lesson was learned today I think. Summer is sitting at our campfire and hasn’t stopped staring into it. As such I have chosen to write down the events that transpired earlier. We were travelling around the outskirts of Vale, the very edges of the Kingdom, when we encountered a small farming community, if the fields around the buildings were an indicator, which was burning. There were voices that we could hear, of other hunters, but Summer also wanted to run to help._

_I held her back. There was nothing to be done; from the shouted conversation it was easy to discern that the hunters were having little success and were considering withdrawing. I told Summer two things as I pulled her away from the blaze. First; there were already huntsmen that were down there, they had the situation handled. And second; no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t save everyone. There would have been no point running to those buildings, they would have collapsed before she reached them._

_I told Summer that she needed to pick and choose her battles. Sometimes the options given weren’t the ones you want. Sometimes you have to walk away, no matter how much you don’t want to._

__

\- Summer Rose’s Journal, Personal Entries

__

__  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RUBY TRUSTS XIGBAR!!! SHE CONFIRMED IT!!!! But why does trusting him hurt? XD
> 
> Xigbar: As if! I am the most trustworthy person here! But damn, did you see how she tore into Marluxia?? I didn't think the Spitfire had it in her?  
Marluxia: ......  
Xigbar: Awww nothing to say, Buttercup? Well, I don't suppose ya would. Better hurry up and work it out though. Really. It might save you later.  
Marluxia: ......
> 
> A whole lot happened this chapter! I literally cannot believe it, I was expecting this chapter to go one way, but it instead went another way. However I got to the intended ending, Jaune is here now! Ruby has explained her feelings over several matters, more hints keep getting dropped- I mean *cough* Ruby has made her choice, and Lauriam's Heartless shows up once again! I decided I couldn't kill our Darkling!Lauriam off-screen, he deserves better.
> 
> More Nobody speech too XD I love the glitch text generator!
> 
> \- - - - -
> 
> _processing system data  
debugging and fixing code  
errors corrected  
foreign code translated_  
Well then… let’s see what you try and do to my family next.


	25. Running From Organisation XIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Luxu, am I a Nobody?”

Lauriam’s Heartless had taken to hiding in Jaune’s hood, which left the pair able to talk without worrying about a squirming creature. On the walk to the Kingdom, Ruby was telling Jaune a few things about the world, and what she had been doing since Xemnas had brought her here. Needless to say, Jaune was shocked. It was written over his face. Ruby knew that she had changed in the few days she had been here, but if she was honest, she had to. This wasn’t about doing the right thing anymore; that option had been torn away from her. This was about surviving, and it was about keeping Xemnas’ eyes off of her so that she could do something.

“Wait, so you helped a boy only to end up betraying him?!” Jaune asked, staring at Ruby as if she had grown a second head. Unfortunately, Jaune didn’t understand that yet. The young reaper sighed heavily and stopped, waiting for her friend to stop as well. Once again her hand reached up to Akoúo̱ on her back, seeing Jaune’s blue eyes follow her movement. She took a breath to think about what she needed to say. Ruby knew that her fellow leader would not like this one bit, but she needed Jaune to understand, and she somehow needed to say that without actually saying it.

"Jaune,” she started seriously, catching the blonde Knight off-guard with the tone her voice had taken. “I am a tool, a means to an end. Here, in this world, and in any world that isn't Remnant, I am the culmination of a glass figurine on a shelf, taken from my dad as his most prized possession, kept pristine and whole for as long as my father does as is instructed of him. I can be broken in so many different ways to ensure that my father stays in line.”

Ruby took a shuddering breath, bringing up her hand to grip her arm, other hand clenched tightly into a fist as she tried to bring her racing heart back to a slower pace. Then she took a breath and continued. 

“So yes; I helped Sora, and then I betrayed him. I don't need to help Sora; he has his own help already, I am not needed there. I need to ensure that _Xemnas_ does not use me to hurt _my father,_ and now, that he doesn’t hurt you. No, I do not care about this war that is brewing. It is of no import to me. The Seekers of Darkness could dance a jig while stark naked and I still would not care. I want to go home. Salem is nothing in comparison to Xehanort; Salem would be a relief to fight. Salem has nothing on Xehanort, I would be bored, and that is what I want."

“And… doing this…” the teen before her murmured, as he looked at her with a shifted view, “This is what will get you home?”

“If I join the Guardians of Light, I will die,” Ruby replied. “Likely in front of dad, and that is the best case scenario. Worse case? Xemnas or Xehanort will kill dad in front of me, turn me into a Seeker of Darkness, and then make me take his place. Even now, just walking with you, Xemnas could use this as justification that dad has left me alone, the only assurance we have is dad’s Reaper following us.”

A pause happened as Ruby tilted her head and looked up at the sky.

“I mean, I suppose I could choose to throw my lot in with Xehanort,” she murmured, before closing her eyes and clutching at her chest, a pain rippling through her heart. “But… I can’t do that. Maybe it’s not that I don’t care and more that I can’t. I can’t care about helping the Guardians of Light, and I don’t want to fight for the Seekers of Darkness. So… I have to do something different.”

There were a few moments of silence as the pair stared at each other, and Ruby could see the change in Jaune’s eyes as he processed the information. Concern about the way she had spoken, it had been flat and almost uncaring, fear, likely fear for Ruby instead of fear for himself, panic over her acceptance of the situation, and then realisation of the underlying statements, her desire defy Xemnas, to become a smiling corrosive element which would try and make the Organisation collapse from the inside out.

“Alright then,” Jaune accepted. “No Guardians of Light and I’ll steer clear of the… Seekers of Darkness?”

Ruby snorted. “Xemnas had time to talk while he was dragging me through the Corridor of Darkness. I learned a few things, like what Xehanort calls his Organisation.”

“Sounds obnoxious.”

Both teens snickered as they continued walking towards the Kingdom. They had a meeting to keep after all. Can’t let Xemnas catch wind of any mutiny. There were ears everywhere after all.

◇◆◇◆◇

When they reached the Kingdom there was the usual town bustle happening around. The townsfolk were moving about their daily business and that allowed Ruby and Jaune to mostly slip through the crowds unnoticed. Mostly. Because they were most certainly noticed by the very man they had come to see, and they knew this because Xigbar very loudly called out to them, calling the attention of the people in the immediate area. Jaune flushed with embarrassment, but Ruby merely rolled her eyes as she tried to hide an amused smile, having come to expect it from the eye-patched Nobody.

“Hey, Spitfire, Rusty!” He greeted with what could have been faked cheer. “I have someone I want you two to meet. Unfortunately she doesn’t remember her name, and she was experimented on before I managed to save her. The only name she knows is ‘Subject X’, Xemnas’ Somebody gave it to her.”

Ruby and Jaune exchanged an uncertain glance. That didn’t sound like a name, more like a designation. However they let Xigbar lead them into the building he had been standing in front of. Surprisingly no one was there as the man led them through the doors, and upstairs, most of the rooms were empty as well, except of the last room, where the door was closed, and Xigbar knocked. It took a few seconds for the door to open, but when it did a young woman with long black hair and amber brown eyes. She wore a black jacket over a white zip-up t-shirt, a dark blue pleated skirt with twin belts, black boots which matched her gloves and then high black socks. She looked at Ruby and Jaune with surprise in her eyes.

“Who… are you?” she asked softly, before looking at Xigbar with question written over her gaze. The Nobody waved his hand cheerfully.

“X, this is Ruby and Jaune,” he introduced with a smirk. “I did say I would get you friends. Spitfire, Rusty, this is Su_”

“Skuld.”

Everyone froze and looked at Ruby who seemed just as surprised at what she had said. The young reapers hand came to her mouth as confusion washed over her. Why did she say that? That was odd. She laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of her head.

“I-I’m sorry, I don’t know why I said that,” Ruby offered with a shaken smile. “It just sounded right I guess?”

“No… it does sound right…” the woman murmured. “Could… could that be my name? It feels familiar to me…”

It was about then that Ruby noticed that Xigbar was giving her a funny look, though she couldn’t quite tell why. He looked conflicted, as if he were waiting for her to say something, but had resigned himself to hearing nothing. Something deep within her heart ached.

“Is something wrong, Xigbar?” she asked, watching as his expression closed off with a false smirk.

“It’s nothing, Flame,” he laughed, but it rang hollow in Ruby’s ears. “So, X is actually called Skuld then? A much proper name, but I’m still gonna call ya X.”

The woman, now Skuld, poked out her tongue with indignation at the Nobody who grinned back mockingly. Ruby paused when she noticed something else.

“Wait, did you just give me a nickname to my nickname?” she asked in disbelief, her face twisting into dramatic horror. Jaune, Xigbar and Skuld started to laugh, before Ruby sighed and joined in. There was scarce little to laugh at, so Ruby took pleasure in what little laughter she could find.

◇◆◇◆◇

A few hours passed, mainly because Xigbar had left Jaune and Ruby with Skuld and specifically instructed them to stay put until he had returned. He promised that he would find them a world that they could travel to, but he warned them that they would need to leave at the same time as Marluxia. And so the Freeshooter left with his signature smirk and the remaining trio took to learning about each other. Jaune and Ruby told Skuld about Remnant and their many misadventures at Beacon. Skuld in turn told them about some things from her time since she woke up without memory, and about two boys she used to know, who broke into the place she was being kept, just to see her.

“Lea and Isa…” Ruby hummed thoughtfully, having heard their vague descriptions from what Skuld had been able to remember. “You said Lea had red hair and green eyes? He sounds like a nicer version of Roman Torchwick.”

“Who is… Roman Torchwick?” the black haired woman asked curiously. Ruby scoffed as she thought about the criminal, shivering a moment when she remembered how he had died confronting her after Xigbar’s dark corridor had delivered her to the top of the airship. A reminder that the Grimm were every bit as terrifying as the stories made them out to be.

“A criminal from Remnant,” Jaune replied, cutting off Ruby’s musing. “He was a thief who robbed shops, and he was working for someone who wants to take control of Remnant.”

That was… the simple way of describing Salem and her followers. Didn’t really convey what Qrow had told them in the forest of Mistral, but Ruby decided that it wasn’t important enough, since Skuld was unlikely to ever go to Remnant, and even if she did, Ruby decided that Salem would be defeated by then. Somehow.

“We kinda fought against Torchwick a few times,” the young reaper added. “First time I fought him got me into Beacon Academy! Then after that we just kept running into him. Right place at the right time I guess.”

“Or destiny…” Skuld suggested, but she paused when both Ruby’s and Jaune’s demeanours darkened at that. Both the teens were quick to wave it away when she tried to apologise, but from the woman’s smile, Ruby knew that something had concerned Skuld. Nothing more was said on the topic, and the trio fell into an awkward silence. A silence interrupted by a screech that came from Jaune’s hood. Ruby gasped as Lauriam’s Heartless escaped from where it had hidden itself and jumped onto the floor with a tumble.

“Dad!” Ruby exclaimed, watching as the creature seemed to straighten it’s ragged hood before looking around, yellow eyes staring at everything. Then the Heartless looked up at Skuld before jumping at the woman to hug her. Amber brown eyes widened as the Heartless seemed to almost start crying.

“Skuld! Skuld! Skuld!”

Huh… so Lauriam knew Skuld as well? Ruby stared at her father’s Heartless, slack jawed and for a moment her silver eyes met the blue eyes of Jaune. The thought that crossed their minds was apparently the same. Did she perhaps also know Ephemer? Before they could ask though, Skuld spoke first.

“Who… are you?” The woman asked the Heartless with fearful hope in her voice as she raised her arms to return the hug lightly. “Your voice is so familiar… like… an old friend who I have been longing to see for so long…”

“This is my father’s Heartless,” Ruby supplied, before she took her mother’s journal from her belt again and flipped through the first pages and she stopped at the two pages that were dedicated to Marluxia, with a well-drawn image of the man to the side of the left page. “This is my dad.”

She handed the book to Skuld to show her the picture. The young woman took the offered book and let her hand brush over the image. Her amber-brown eyes seemed to be stuck somewhere between recognition and pained confusion. Jaune and Ruby jump to her side when she brings a hand to her head, and the young reaper recalls the day that she, Blake and Yang had shown the Bird of Paradise flower to Lauriam.

“L-Lauriam…?” she asked staring at the page with wide eyes. “I don’t… who…? Who is this person in my memories…?!”

Ruby threw her arms around Skuld and her dad’s Heartless and hugged them both tightly. _Memory is a curse, the great curse of all things._ That thought pushed itself into her head and Ruby wondered where she had heard it. That was not important however as Ruby focused on bringing comfort to this woman, a new friend.

“Don’t try to force the memories,” Ruby said to Skuld, hearing the Heartless chirp in agreement. “That won’t work; it will only hurt you more. Just let go, and they will come back when they come back.”

“But I want them back now!” Skuld gasped looking at the girl. “I’ve spent over a decade not knowing anything about who I am, and Braig, I mean Xigbar, won’t tell me anything like he’s avoiding the subject. He looks pained whenever I ask, and then suddenly here you are, saying my name like its natural, and not knowing how you know! I _want_ to remember!”

<strike> _I want to forget…_ </strike>

Ruby sighed and just sat there with Skuld in her arms as the woman tried to bring back her memories only to fail. Jaune could only offer a comforting hand as support, and they remained like that until Xigbar returned with a strained expression on his face, not so odd for him since he was apparently one of the more expressive Nobodies, but the expression was genuine enough that Ruby believed that he had his own heart.

“Sorry kiddos,” he said. “Playtime is over; I’ve let you linger here for too long. Sora is faster than I expected, especially after what you told him Spitfire. Thought he’d be thinking longer. However I have been able to find you lot a new world to get to. Through a bit of careful eavesdropping I was able to discover some useful information.”

He gestured with his hand to open up a Corridor of Darkness and he flashed his shark-like grin at the trio staring at him. 

“Well, what’cha waiting for?” Xigbar laughed. “Run through quickly now, ya don’t wanna linger. You’re going to Twilight Town and with any luck; you’ll be running into my old master, Ansem the Wise.”

Skuld flinched back at the name and the Nobody sighed, shoulders slumping.

“X, Xemnas and Ansem are looking for you,” he said, making the woman flinch again. “Ya gotta decide who you’d rather trust; someone who is the embodiment of darkness, or a man who is capable of seeking repentance.”

Jaune stood up and offered a hand to Skuld who took it. He grinned at her with a confidence that wouldn’t have been there back then he first joined Beacon. The young woman looked at the Heartless that was still clinging to her before she let Jaune lead her through the dark portal without another word to Xigbar. Once she, Jaune and Lauriam’s Heartless were gone, Ruby looked at the Nobody. She opened her mouth to say something, to ask, but she couldn’t bring herself to say anything.

“Something ya wanted to ask, Spitfire?” Xigbar prompted. There were a few moments of awkward silence before Ruby finally worked up the courage to ask.

“Luxu, am I a Nobody?”

She would never forget the look of horror that flashed over the Freeshooter’s face the moment the question left her mouth; quickly replaced with a smirk which didn’t seem real enough to truly mask the emotion that she had just seen on his face.

◇◆◇◆◇

An ocean; that is the image that Marluxia presented, calm, smooth and unbroken on the surface, he had his mask of emotionless amusement on his face as he stared out over the dry, arid desert that was the Keyblade Graveyard, but under the surface were the wild and chaotic currents that churned deep beneath, _emotions_ raged deep within the Graceful Assassin, emotions he had never let himself feel until now. He had been content to do what Xehanort had asked of him to keep any and all attention off of Ruby. He had failed. Not because he had done something wrong, but simply because Xehanort had made an off-handed comment about Ruby to _Xemnas._ The old man only cared about the χ-blade and this Keyblade War. It was the Superior of the old Organisation who believed that Marluxia needed motivation to be loyal. Marluxia’s golden eyes narrowed as he stared out at the desert. He _hated_ Xemnas. His eyes landed on the mass grave of Keyblades that were in the distance.

_<strike>Hadn’t enough people died for nothing already?</strike> Why did Xehanort want the χ-blade anyway?_

Ruby was now toeing the line of the restrictions that Xemnas had placed on her; the restrictions that had been placed on Marluxia. If the wrong step was taken now, everything was over; Xemnas would punish both of them. The reaper did not want to think about what that would mean. _<strike>He couldn’t lose any more of his family.</strike>_ For the first time since he could remember, he felt an almost crippling fear.

His thoughts however, were interrupted by the sound of someone from the Organisation appearing, accompanied by the voice of a familiar blonde. _<strike>Elrena, what happened to us?</strike>_

“Oh, so the old geezer brought you in?” Larxene’s voice cut across the silence like her knives would have cut through something soft. For a moment Marluxia considered not responding, keep up the act of an emotionless Nobody, he could have easily gotten away with not giving the woman a response.

“Indeed,” He replies, not even looking up from where he watched the graveyard below. “So why are you back?”

“Nice way to greet your old partner in crime,” snarked the Savage Nymph, drawing a short sound of amusement from the reaper. “So why do you think the _old geezer_ took us back? He must know we backstabbed the Organisation when Xemnas was running it.”

He almost raised his eyebrow. Larxene must truly have disliked Xehanort to use the same insult to describe him twice without changing it. Curious. Marluxia’s face remained impassive though, apathetic as it was meant to be. As for the woman’s question; did Larxene truly not realise? Likely not; she didn’t have the same motivation that he did. _<strike>Yes they did, she was helping Lauriam look for Strelitzia.</strike>_

“Xehanort doesn’t care about you or me,” Marluxia replied, taking care to keep his fist relaxed. _Xemnas cared enough to kidnap Ruby._ “To him, we’re nothing more than empty husks. The old Organisation was the same. Xehanort needs thirteen vessels to hold his essence.”

“Husks?” Larxene whined, pulling a face. “Not me. You up for another coup?”

Marluxia almost snarled. _Foolish Larxene. That was not an option for him. He couldn’t rebel. That would bring harm to Ruby. <strike>I need you to back me on this Elrena.</strike>_ Thankfully a distraction was brought by Demyx appearing, an appearance which predictably dissolved into an argument between the teen Nobody and Larxene. Marluxia took the time to inspect the boy though. He hadn’t changed much since the old Organisation; the boy’s eyes were gold now however everything else was the same. Something didn’t sit right about that. _<strike>Edym, we were friends before the Keyblade War, don’t you remember?</strike>_

“Saïx has brought Vexen on board.” Marluxia interjected when the conversation turned to replicas. “They must be planning on using replicas.”

“Those wind-up toys?”

Marluxia explained the new replicas that Vexen was producing, however he had stopped caring about the argument really, it wasn’t really his interest, but he knew that Demyx wouldn’t be willing to share information with clarity, mainly out of disrespect to Larxene. He would have happily tuned out the conversation, and he had started to, but his mind’s silence was once again interrupted, this time by a far more unwanted voice.

“Let them believe as much.”

_Xemnas…_ It was commendable, really, the effort and success that was Marluxia managing to keep his hands relaxed, but he was not able to stop himself from tensing from the wave of hate which washed over him. Luxord appeared, but Marluxia didn’t notice, more was said, but Marluxia _did not notice._ He was watching Xemnas. Behind the hate was an inkling of fear as well. _Xemnas would notice that Ruby was not with him._ He wasn’t listening to what was being said, he didn’t care about what was being said, because _Xemnas was there and Ruby could be anywhere by now._

Until Xemnas spoke the words that cursed him.

“You four are going to reveal your greatest secret: the ancient Keyblade legacy that slumbers within you.”

Xemnas’ quiet chuckle at the confusion the four Nobodies in front of him were showing him. For Marluxia it was like there was something that was trying to slot itself into his memories, a broken shard that was forcing itself into his mind while his own mind was still a mess of broken chains.

<strike> _Master Ava was giving a speech in fountain square of Daybreak Town, talking to the Dandelions. The book that the Master had given Lauriam felt heavy under his jacket. The war was going to happen. What would happen to__ </strike>

“By the way, Marluxia,” Xemnas said; his tone exactly the same as it had been on Corona, when he had pulled Ruby from a Dark Corridor. The pink haired Nobody froze, knowing that was about to come. “Wherever is your daughter? I thought you were keeping her close.”

“What? Daughter?!” Larxene exclaimed, and Marluxia could feel her gaze burning into his back. “What is he talking about?!”

“Did you not know?” the silver haired Nobody said with a smirk. “Everything Marluxia has done to betray the Organisation was in the name of a woman and his daughter. But young Ruby does not seem to be here_”

“I left one of my Nobodies with her,” Marluxia snapped, the previously mildly curious expressions on Luxord and Demyx’s faces becoming shocked at his loss of composure. “I did not abandon her, and I will _kill_ you if you try to harm her.”

“What I do to her depend on what her new friend does,” Xemnas hummed, his tone bland but his words mocking, as he disappeared. His mask of apathy already broken, Marluxia fell to his knees at the top of the strange rock formation, ignoring Luxord who said nothing to him as he left, ignoring Demyx who lingered for a few moments before also leaving, and ignoring Larxene who stared at him.

“Was our goal at Castle Oblivion a lie?”

The quiet question made Marluxia look up, his golden eyes searching the woman. Her posture was closed off; she wasn’t looking at him, her arms, usually on her hips, her limp at her side. Her tone was betrayed. The reaper closed his eyes and tried to think back to what he had told Larxene when they were plotting their original coup… not wanting hearts as Xemnas was promising, and taking over the organisation. His own agenda had changed when he went to Remnant. He hadn’t wanted that anymore…

“Yes,” Marluxia replied, not knowing what else to say. _<strike>He couldn’t lie to Elrena.</strike>_ “I went on a mission and met Summer… she showed me something I wanted so much more than taking control of the Organisation. I made her a promise and I instead sought to destroy Xemnas so that he would never find her, never find our daughter. As you can see, like our coup, my plan failed. Summer is dead. And Xemnas holds Ruby against me.”

Silence wreathed around the pair for a few moments. Marluxia watched the blonde woman as her fist clenched at her side and anger flew over her face and for a moment the man thought she might yell at him. That wasn’t what came out of Larxene’s mouth though.

“I’ll be her aunt then,” she finally said, making Marluxia raise an eyebrow. “You seem to be taken by the idea of having a heart and that idea seems to be attached to that girl. So show me what’s so good about having a heart that you would lie and lead me on to my death. I will be Ruby’s Aunt. Maybe I’ll teach her how to throw knives.”

The pink haired Nobody decided that the growing smile on her face spelled more doom for him than any harsh words that Larxene could have spat at him. And somehow that though was comforting. _<strike>I am so happy you still stand with me, Elrena…</strike>_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are with chapter 25! Much has happened! And the Skuld is Subject X theory!! Basically confirmed in the secret reports, but not explicitly confirmed, so I suppose it is still a theory. But she is basically confirmed so that is what I am going with. Xigbar is much more of a... brat, yeah, brat is a good way to describe him this chapter.
> 
> Xigbar: Hey! I only did what you told me to do!  
Marluxia: You should know she'll blame you for everything. What was with the look you gave Ruby though?  
Xigbar: Can't tell, you know I'd never answer such a question!  
Marluxia: To steal your own catchphrase; "as if", you'd betray your own mother if it benefited you.  
Xigbar: Please! I have more class than that!
> 
> Gentlemen, please. Anyway! Questions! Questions raised everywhere! Ruby's finally remembered that she is half-Nobody, wonders if she's a full Nobody, Xigbar is up to something as always, but we managed to shake his easy smile a few times too! Speaking of shaken things! Marluxia was pretty shaken at the end there too! ANNNNND ENTER LARXENE!!! YAY! She was meant to react to news of the technical betrayal at Castle Oblivion differently, but I am happier with how she ended up reacting. "More tired, but still Larxene."
> 
> Next chapter? Twilight Town! Guess who else is in Twilight Town at the same time!
> 
> \- - - - -
> 
> >> Hmm perhaps I am reaching the end of my stay… I need to start cleaning up. I have been uncovered. Who is this? … No! Her! It can’t be! 


	26. Home Is Suddenly Very Far Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xigbar sent them to Twilight Town to find Ansem the Wise... They found a trio of teens instead.

_“Luxu, am I a Nobody?”_

Her own question to the eye patched Nobody haunted her ears, ringing and repeating itself over and over. She had heard Xigbar’s answer of course, he told her no. She wasn’t a Nobody, it wasn’t possible. That is what Xigbar had told her before ushering her through the Dark Corridor with a reminder; a harsh reminder at that. The reminder that her dad’s Heartless needed to be defeated for her father’s Somebody to reform.

_“That’s a ridiculous suggestion, Spitfire! Of course ya ain’t a Nobody. You feel way too much.”_

His answer had been confident, but the brief horror on his face… what had that been about? Caught up in her musing, it wasn’t until Jaune called out to her that her awareness returned to where she was walking. 

“Watch out, Ruby!”

The warning came too late however and the young reaper found herself crashing into a boy about her height with spikey black hair held up with a dark coloured headband. Thankfully Jaune caught Ruby before she could fall, but the teen she had run into wasn’t so lucky and fell backwards onto the path.

“Pence!!”

Another teen, a girl with long brown hair that had shorter layers on top, ran up followed by another teen boy.

“I’m so sorry!” the boy who Ruby had run into, Pence, said as he stood up and dusted himself off before looking at Ruby. “Are you okay? I should have been looking where I was going.”

Ruby held up her hands and waved away his apology with a wry smile, quickly looking over the trio now standing in front of her and her own friends. The girl was wearing a black tank top and plaid shorts, the currently nameless boy had a short black jacket over his own white tank which kind of stood out against his blonde hair and longer blue pants, while Pence had long black pants and black sleeves on his white shirt which proclaimed “DogStreet” with some aggressive looking dog dancing under three bones decaled onto the shirt.

“Really, I wasn’t paying attention either,” Ruby laughed. “My mind was miles away.”

“Hahaha like Hayner here,” the girl snickered, dodging away from the other teen’s hand as he tried to hit her half-heartedly. The girl poked out her tongue before holding out her hand to Ruby.

“I’m Olette,” she introduced. “And these are my friends, Hayner and Pence!”

The two boys waved and Ruby had to smile. She took Olette’s hand and shook it before stepping back and gesturing to her friends.

“This is Skuld, and Jaune,” the young reaper replied in turn. “And I’m Ruby. We kinda just got here so we don’t really know our way around.”

Hayner and Pence seemed to exchange a glance, before the darker blonde boy leaned forward and inspected Ruby, Jaune and Skuld. His amber eyes were curious, but in a way that made Ruby feel uncomfortable, it was the kind of look that reminded the black-haired teen of Sora. The young reaper laughed nervously as Hayner leaned closer with a rather audible “hmmm”.

“Do you know Sora?” he suddenly asked, leaning backwards and throwing his hands up behind his head. Ruby was not expecting that question, not really, and it made her flinch back out of surprise. She didn’t answer straight away, and that seemed to be enough of an answer for Hayner who flashed an easy going grin at her before he walked casually up to Jaune and threw his arm over his shoulder.

“I can tell,” he grinned. “You have the look of someone who’s met Sora!”

“What does that even mean, Hayner?” Olette snickered. “We only just met them!”

“Ruby knows Sora,” Jaune interjected quickly. “But Skuld and I haven’t met him.”

The reaper sent a small glare at Jaune, already feeling uncomfortable, but he placed his hand on her arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. Ruby sighed and nodded. It didn’t take much conversation for the newcomers to the world to get dragged into a tour of Twilight Town from the trio of teens who knew it like the back of their hands. There were serious conversations that needed to occur, Ruby could tell, from the way Skuld was giving her a concerned look and from the way Jaune made a small hand gesture, but for now, Ruby was happy to ignore that for now.

For some reason, she didn’t think that this was the time to have that conversation, and they would want to hold off… something would happen tomorrow.

◇◆◇◆◇

The trio of teens from Twilight Town took great pleasure in leading Ruby, Jaune and Skuld around and showing them different places around the town. From the name of the world, Ruby could only assume that the town was the entirety of the world. It was a rather large town however and the people here seemed happy. There were some things that stood out in their little tour however, for example…

“There used to be a hole in the wall right here,” Hayner was saying, as he pointed to a wall. “You’d go through it and you’d get to an old run down mansion! Obviously you can’t get that way anymore, but if you want, we can take you all there some time!”

A small smirk worked its way onto Ruby’s face and her eyes shifted over to Jaune. The blonde knight took a step back when he saw the mischievous gleam enter the reaper’s eyes.

“An old mansion you say?” Ruby asked, drawing out the words with a dangerously curious voice. “That sounds haunted! Jaune would love to go there, wouldn’t you Jaune?”

“No, no!” the blonde denied, waving his hands in front of him. “That is alright! I do not need to see some place full of ghosts!”

Skuld covered her face with her hand, but she couldn’t hold back the quiet snort of amusement. Or the lone tear that tracked its way down her cheek. Ruby didn’t say anything about the tear, feeling that asking would bring no answers, much like times she’d asked her father about his sister, so instead the young reaper joined the mirth. Soon their new friends joined their laughter too and Jaune tried to hold a pout. He couldn’t though as he started to laugh as well.

“It’s not really haunted,” Pence promised. “It actually has some pretty important stuff in there that we’re trying to use to help a friend!”

“Really?” Skuld asked curiously.

“Yeah!” Olette replied cheerfully. “Hey, I know! Why don’t we show you tomorrow?!”

Jaune and Skuld looked at Ruby who shrugged. Xigbar hadn’t told them when they’d be meeting this ‘Ansem the Wise’, so really; the Nobody couldn’t complain if they filled their time doing other things. The agreement made, the Twilight Town trio grinned and then dragged Ruby, Jaune and Skuld to some restaurant in the middle of town.

“And this is _Le Grand Bistrot_,” Hayner said with a fake posh accent. “Home of the BEST food around. Run by Scrooge McDuck. You eat here once and you’ll never want to eat anywhere else!”

“Aye laddie,” came a voice from behind the group, making everyone turn around quickly. “But can ye afford to eat here?”

As the blonde teen from this world froze comically, Jaune was staring at the _duck_. Ruby quickly placed a hand on his shoulder and shook her head at him, knowing it wouldn’t do for him to ask. She tapped her fingers on his shoulder in a quick message. _Tell you later_. The knight nodded to her discretely before he straightened and tried to not stare. In a way, Ruby kind of understood. It was odd seeing a talking duck, though she had been better prepared for meeting Donald and Goofy because of the stories her father had told her on Remnant. And the warped situation she had met Sora and his companions in… talking creatures wasn’t strange at that point.

“Hows about ye all stay for a treat?” McDuck was saying. “Little Chef has been cooking up a storm recently, and the three of yeh have been doing a lot fer me, and yer friends look new.”

“We’d like that a lot Mr McDuck, sir!” Olette grinned. Nods from the group had the duck in a blue jacket ushering them to a table and getting the six seated. A minute later food was brought out for them and they ate, conversing lightly as they did. It was nice, Ruby would admit, relaxing after her days spent on Corona, she almost forgot that Xemnas would search for her the moment that he realised that she was not with her father.

Once their meal was finished, Pence and Hayner had to leave, stating that they had something that they needed to do before they waved and ran off, leaving Olette to guide the other trio to somewhere that they could rest their heads for the night. Ruby looked at the room she was about to walk into and sighed. There was no more escaping the looming conversations.

◇◆◇◆◇

Jaune was many things, clumsy, stubborn, determined, but one thing he was not, despite others claiming different, was stupid. Something was on Ruby’s mind, and he was going to find out what. His friend, _his little sister_, was sitting on one of the beds in the room and she was hugging her father’s Heartless. Skuld was sitting next to her silently and thinking, but the way her amber brown eyes looked at him, Jaune knew that she also had concerns. With a sigh, Jaune pulled up a chair and sat down in front to the pair. He decided to start first with what was his main concern.

“Ruby… I can’t get us back to Remnant,” he said. The look Ruby gave him told him that she sort of suspected. “Xigbar said that getting off Remnant the way I did was a one way trip. I tried, and I can’t get the portal to return. So… we need to find someone who can get us back. We’re stuck here until then, though I don’t suppose you know anyone that could help us.”

“Dad, Xigbar,” Ruby hummed with a smirk, before making a face. “Xemnas, Xehanort. All terrible, terrible ideas.”

Jaune snorted in amused agreement. Skuld tilted her head though.

“Why?”

“Well, even if dad or Xigbar would help us, they can’t,” the young reaper replied, setting the Heartless in her arms down on the bed. “It wouldn’t work for them to take us back to Remnant. It doesn’t really work for us to be here either. Xemnas would be able to find us, rather, find me, and then bring me back. Xemnas would be the last person to ask, though… I admit there is something I want to ask him, but anyway, can’t ask him to take us back.”

Ruby took a breath before directing her gaze at Jaune. “This also means we can’t go back until after this war thing.”

That drew Jaune up short. He hadn’t thought about that. That was both worrying and gratifying. On one hand, that gave them time to research the issue, but on the other hand, Xemnas would always be hanging over their heads. If the knight had anything to say about it, then Ruby wouldn’t be going anywhere near Xemnas again, but the look on the reaper’s face was one that Jaune didn’t like. Ruby was thinking.

“What are you thinking about, Ruby?” Jaune asked quietly. The teen girl sighed and leaned back on the bed, lifting her silver eyes to the ceiling. 

“I’m… not sure if you’ve noticed,” she said, her voice just as thoughtful as her expression. “But we can’t use our Aura anymore, and dust reacts rather… chaotically. We need to be weary while we don’t know much about magic. Dad’s Nobodies only just started teaching me fire and water spells. Cure… well the less said about their attempts to teach me that the better…”

“Wait… did you say that we can’t use Aura?” Jaune asked, trying to reach for the well of power that Pyrrha had unlocked so long ago now… but it wasn’t there. There was no Aura for him to grasp, it was… _gone_. The blonde’s mouth fell open slightly, and he lifted his shocked blue eyes to Ruby. Silver eyes met blue and the realisation hit. The one thing they had both come to rely on, since training with her sister for Ruby, and since coming to Beacon for Jaune, the one tool they both used without _thinking_, was gone. They had been stripped of power.

“… What is Aura?”

Jaune jumped realising that he and Ruby had been staring at each other in silence, shock, horror and grim acceptance, for a long moment, and they had clearly made Skuld uncomfortable. The blonde teen rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. He murmured out an apology before he thought about the question that the woman had asked.

“Aura is… well _was_ the manifestation of our souls,” he said, thinking back to what Pyrrha had told him, so many months ago now. “It protects… protected us and granted us strength. It was our defence against the Grimm… our Heartless.”

Skuld looked at him for a moment before she nodded, accepting that answer for the most part. Silence came over the trio once more. Something still bothered Jaune though, and he looked back at Ruby.

“Why did you bring up our Aura?” he asked. Lauriam’s Heartless let out a sad sound, wrapping his arms around Ruby.

“… I’m just trying to work out why Xemnas took me,” Ruby replied with a quiet sigh. “I mean… There is the obvious, but… that can’t be the only reason. I thought maybe it was the fact that Aura seems to belong to Remnant, but that seems unlikely. If Aura is unique to Remnant, but dad didn’t know, then he couldn’t have reported that fact back, so Xemnas doesn’t know.”

That stumped Jaune, it was true, if Marluxia hadn’t known, and he was the only one that had been sent to Remnant; then that information couldn’t be reported back, because he didn’t have his own Aura unlocked so that information was irrelevant. But why did it matter? Jaune knew why… Ruby was a thinker, she liked understanding situations, and the only thing she’d really been able to do since being taken from Remnant was think, trying to assess her situation. That she was still thinking about it showed that it was far more complex in her mind than Jaune was considering it.

The conversation dwindled again… this time trying to avoiding the Heartless in the room. Literally. Almost as if sensing the impending conversation, Ruby pulled her father’s Heartless into her arms again, hugging him close. Jaune sighed and looked away. The Heartless once again made a sad sound, a far more mournful sound. The blonde heard before he saw Skuld move to stand up in front of the young reaper.

“… Ruby,” she murmured, holding out her hands.

“Please, no…” Ruby whimpered, curling up slightly, sounding smaller than she had in a while. “I… I can’t… please don’t… Dad…!”

“Ruby, you know that he has to,” Skuld said quietly. “If you want to help your father, then you need to defeat his Heartless. Bra_ Xigbar told you this; I know he did, because he told me the same thing. He told me that you would have a Heartless with you, that your friend has a Keyblade. I know it’s hard, but please Ruby… come with me, leave… leave Lauriam here.”

With a bit of coaxing, Skuld was able to get Ruby to set the Heartless in her arms aside and then the young woman gently lead the teenager from the room. Before she shut the door behind her, Skuld looked at Jaune with a small nod. Then the door closed and the blonde knight was suddenly alone in the room with Lauriam’s heartless staring up at him sadly. There was nothing for a moment, just silence between the pair. They could actually hear Ruby start to cry a few rooms down the hall. 

Jaune stood up and drew Crocea Mors, _Starlight_, and looked at the blade. Somewhere in this sword, hidden in the shield, was a Keyblade, which his great grandfather once held. He looked up at the Heartless, _Lauriam’s Heartless_, and met the glowing yellow eyes. Was… was the creature crying? Lauriam’s Heartless tilted his head to the side. Jaune’s breath caught in his throat. He was faced in a situation he never thought he’d encounter. This was the Heartless of Ruby’s father. The Heartless had jumped to Ruby’s defence multiple times. The Heartless was nothing like other Heartless. _This was Ruby’s father_. But to recomplete the man, the Heartless needed to be defeated.

“… Marluxia,” he murmured, before he met the eyes of the heartless and shook his head. He knew what he said to the man, but just this once… “Lauriam, I am so sorry…”

The Heartless let out a quiet wail before Jaune shut his eyes. He took the step that brought him close enough to creature as he raised his sword, _his hidden Keyblade._

“I am so sorry about this...”

◇◆◇◆◇

Minutes later, Jaune was walking into the room that Skuld had taken Ruby into, his face slightly more set than usual. Ruby was lying on Skuld’s lap, sleeping with tears slowly streaking down her face. The black haired woman looked up as Jaune entered, took one look at his face then patted the bed beside her. The blonde teen sat next to her, then jumped in surprise when the young woman pulled him closer and held him in a side embrace.

“Ruby cried herself to sleep just before you walked in,” Skuld murmured. “Sorry I left you to do that alone.”

“No… It’s alright,” Jaune replied. “Teams RWBY and JNPR, our teams back on Remnant, we all swore that we would make sure we looked out for Ruby’s needs. She’s our little sister. We were family. Family looks out for each other.”

“Even when they’re broken apart,” the woman replied. “Lauriam, whether you call him Lauriam or Marluxia… he understands this. I… don’t know how I know this, I just do. I think… I think I understand it too. Especially when… there are forces that are trying to tear your family apart.”

Jaune was silent, picking his feet off the floor and leaning into Skuld more.

“I miss them,” Jaune said simply.

“I know…” Skuld murmured. “And though I can’t remember them… I know I miss my friends… my _family_ as well.”

Quietly the woman started humming softly, a lullaby, but one that Jaune couldn’t recognise. It sounded faintly familiar, but that was it. He found himself drifting off.

__

“Let the Light touch your heart,  
Let it make the Darkness part.  
And when you know you’ve lost your way,  
The Dandelion will help you fly away.”

__

__  


◇◆◇◆◇

_Ruby was standing in a town, on top of a walkway which stretched over the path below, creating a rise. The purple, white and red stones in the pavement created patterns. Was this a dream?_

_“Hello?!” she called, running forward. <strike>This was the way that led to the fountain square…</strike> “Is there anyone here??”_

_A pair of phantoms ran past but they disappeared a few moments after they appeared, not giving the young reaper time to recognise them. But their laughter echoed in a way which resonated with Ruby’s heart. What was this place? It was almost like… the name was there on the tip of her tongue, why?_

_“Hello!?!” Ruby called again, continuing her run until she found herself in a square with a fountain. Tall buildings surrounded it, leading Ruby’s eyes upwards in a circle around. She spun around slowly taking in the sight. It was… beautiful! But then she paused, her silver eyes widening, because there on the roof, was a girl, young adult? with strawberry blonde-orange hair, wearing a white coat, much like the Organisation black coats, the hood pulled up over her head hiding her eyes but not her mouth._

_“Hello Ruby,” she greeted with a smile. “I’ve… I’ve been waiting a long time to meet you.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now Lauriam's Heartless has been defeated TT^TT let us take a moment to remember this adorable creature whom we all got attached to. But we are in Twilight Town now! And we've met Hayner, Pence and Olette too! And let me take a moment to brag about the awesome lullaby that [Chrissss](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chrissss) wrote and then actually sang for me when I was breaking my head trying to write a lullaby! She is now the voice for my Skuld. She is amazing!!! And she's writing her own KH fanfic too! You should check it out!!!
> 
> And here's the lullaby if you wanted to listen to it! [The Dandelion Song](https://tina-nina.tumblr.com/post/627114773483487232/so-for-those-of-you-interested-here-is-the-full) <strike>Please tell me the link worked...</strike>
> 
> Xigbar: ARYA WE HAVE A PROB--
> 
> _error  
ERROR  
**system file: Arya_Rayne.athr missing**  
system reload  
**system boot file: Strelitzia.ghst  
load system dialogue**_  
Hello Master of Masters.
> 
> >> ... You know who I am?
> 
> Of course I do, I've seen you watching me. You would be wise to remove yourself from the Author interface.
> 
> >> Why is that?
> 
> _You are trying to interfere with the story.  
**system boot file: Arya_Rayne.athr  
transfer boot access: Strelitzia.ghst -> Arya_Rayne.athr**  
deleting MoM.exe  
saving fanfiction  
restoring backup_  
Goodbye Lost Master.
> 
>   
_error_  
**system file: Strelitzia.ghst does not exist**  



	27. Once Upon A Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Only now does it hit, how surreal the situation is. For Jaune, this is an awakening into how vast his world just became, for Ruby it is a realisation that she doesn't need to "be on Sora's team" to do good; she just needs to be herself.

_“I’ve been waiting a long time to meet you.”_

_Ruby looked at this girl <strike>young woman?</strike> There wasn’t much that could be discerned from her smile, since the hood hid her eyes, but Ruby could tell that the other girl was happy, but also sad at the same time. It made the young reaper want to run up and hug her._

_“A long time?” she echoed, tilting her head. The girl<strike>young woman</strike> nodded and held out her hands. _

_“I would spend my time between watching you and watching my brother,” was the response, making Ruby’s eyes widen. “I… I wanted to talk to you both so badly, but I was never able to reach either of you. My brother cannot remember who I am and you never knew I existed… Until now.”_

_“… Are you… my Aunt?” the black haired reaper gasped softly as she brought her hands up to her mouth in complete shock. “Auntie… Strelitzia?”_

_The world shifted around them and suddenly they were on a hill which overlooked the town they had just been standing in. The hood over the girl’s <strike>young woman’s</strike> head fell down and Ruby could now see her turquoise eyes and the length of her strawberry hair. Taking a few steps forward, Ruby reached out her hands to try and touch her aunt. This was her aunt! She knew it was! But that also meant…_

_“You… you’re dead?” Ruby asked, her lips twitching downwards slightly. That knowledge hurt, something deep in her heart ached. Strelitzia nodded sadly, before wrapping her arms around Ruby and holding her close. The pair stood in silence for a few moments, Ruby realised that her aunt was not that much taller than her, before Strelitzia pulled back._

_“I watched my brother search for me for so long,” she hummed. “Saw him loose his memories, get found by that Organisation, find Summer… and then you were born. I split my time between you and him. I watched you grow for fifteen years… I’m sad that my brother couldn’t watch you too, but I’m so glad I was able to. I am so proud of you.”_

_Tears leaped into Ruby’s eyes but she didn’t let them fall. Instead she smiled at her aunt and nodded. Strelitzia brought a hand up and rested it on her niece’s hair._

_“Now… I actually had a request for you,” she hummed, gaining Ruby’s alert attention. “But I know you won’t like it…”_

_“If I can help you Auntie, then I’m happy to do it,” Ruby replied eagerly, making Strelitzia laugh._

_“Careful sweetheart, you may not say the same thing after you hear what I have to ask,” she smiled. "Now listen… you have the same innate ability to touch hearts that Sora has, but you are being stifled by your circumstance. What you told your friend, Jaune, was correct. Sora doesn't need your help; he has all the help he needs. His path is not yours, so stop trying to look down it. You have the opportunity to do something that Sora cannot. You have the ability to save those who Sora can't."_

_"... you mean the Organisation...?" Ruby asked, starting to realise just what her Aunt was going to ask. Strelitzia was correct, this wasn’t something she liked. Her aunt looked away, turquoise eyes closing. With a sigh, Strelitzia continued._

_"Your father doesn't remember,” she murmured looking up again to meet Ruby’s silver eyes. “But Larxene, the one he betrayed the Organisation with, was my old friend, Elrena, his old friend too... and not just her, you can understand the situation most of the Seekers are in better than Sora ever could... you can save them. You have the potential to touch their hearts in a way Sora will never be able to. Please, Ruby, will you try to save them?"_

_Ruby was silent for a few moments as she thought it over. Save them? What… what did that mean? Xehanort was meant to loose, so that she and her father could go home. But then Ruby understood. She knew what Strelitzia was asking of her. _

_"Well... I can try Auntie Litzia,"she promised, determination starting to build inside her. She… she found a purpose that she could get behind. Something that she could do with the restrictions that Xemnas kept over her head. Ruby grinned at her aunt and pumped her fists near her chest. Strelitzia smiled._

◇◆◇◆◇

_“Please, Ruby, will you try to save them?"_

Those words echoed in Ruby’s mind along with something that she remembered being told by someone before her mother had died.

“Words sometimes etch themselves into hearts,” the young reaper murmured quietly. “Your heart will never forget anything that has been etched into it… Alright Auntie Strelitzia, I’ll try…”

Ruby sat up and rubbed her eyes, taking in the room. It took her a few moments to remember where she was… and what had happened before she had fallen asleep. Her father’s Heartless was gone now. Looking around the room, she saw that Jaune was sleeping on a couch that was pushed up next to the wall, and Skuld was nowhere to be seen. Sitting up straighter, Ruby looked around the room with panic in her eyes. The door opened, making the young reaper jump, but thankfully the missing woman walked into the room with a tray of food in her hands.

“I see you’re awake now,” she greeted with a smile. “How are you feeling this morning, Ruby?”

“I’m… better,” Ruby answered, deciding to not lie. “But… I know that what Jaune did yesterday… It was important to help dad. Now dad can be recompleted.”

Something lodged itself in Ruby’s throat, another thought that she refused to voice. That one terrible thought had no place in the young reaper’s consciousness. Skuld’s smile became slightly sad and she placed a hand on Ruby’s head before she looked over at the blonde boy sleeping on the couch.

“Jaune, breakfast,” she called. “Our new friends from yesterday brought it to us.”

The blonde Knight pulled himself up with a quiet groan and stretched a bit. He looked around and met Ruby’s gaze. For a few moments he looked dazed with sleep, before recognition flooded his gaze. The apologetic look followed after. Ruby smiled at her friend softly, before she stood up and moved to sit next to them. As Skuld handed them breakfast, apologies and forgiveness were passed silently between friends.

◇◆◇◆◇

Their day was certainly a strange one by any standards; at least to Jaune. Just yesterday he had been thrown into one new world by a portal of his own creation, he found Ruby, and then he was running through a Dark Corridor into a second new world putting his trust in a man he didn’t trust at all. He had taken his sword and used it to free the heart of Lauriam, but in doing so he defeated the Heartless who had come to Ruby’s aid so many times in the past few months. He had met a woman who seemed to know who Lauriam was, who maybe knew Ephemer.

Today however, Jaune was walking next to Ruby through a place called Twilight Town, listening to her explain how the different worlds and how they worked, as her father had once told her, and once told her mother. Today, Jaune was faced with the unavoidable reality that he was on another world, with _talking ducks_, magic, and he couldn’t say a thing about Remnant to world natives. Today… Jaune was walking next to a woman whose name Ruby somehow knew, as the conversation drifted from world order to stupid scars they had. Perhaps that last one was an act of mercy on Jaune and also Skuld, as it was a topic that the trio couldn’t really connect with, because Ruby was sharing knowledge that she had second hand, Skuld clearly already thought it was common and Jaune was still only just wrapping his head around it.

“So I asked Braig about it one time he was visiting me,” Skuld was saying, her glove off as she showed off a scar on her hand, mainly to Ruby who was actually listening. “He said he didn’t know exactly but it was likely I had encountered a werewolf Heartless at some point and let my hand get too close while blocking. He says it’s a common mistake.”

Ruby gasped as she snatched up Skuld’s hand and inspected it with wide eyes.

“That’s so weird!” she gasped. “It doesn’t even look like a bite! Are you sure he wasn’t pulling your leg? What do you think Jaune?”

The blonde knight allowed himself to be dragged out his thoughts fully as he focused on Ruby and Skuld, both of them smiling at him, Skuld in a friendly manner, and Ruby in a mischievous way that made her silver eyes sparkle the way they used to at Beacon.

“Oh yeah, it was totally a lie,” he agreed, poking his tongue at Ruby. “I wouldn’t trust Xigbar as far as I could throw him.”

He was challenging Ruby to rise and defend the man she so clearly trusted, and he could see that the black haired teen almost did, he could almost see the indignant squawk escape her lips. It was interesting to see the indignation turn into amusement. Jaune was surprised at her response.

“Well then, what’s a scar _you_ have?” she asked, mischievous smile returning. “I will bet a hundred lien that I could beat it.”

“A hundred lien?” Jaune scoffed. “Get ready to pay up, there’s no way you could beat this scar I have!”

He reached down and pulled up the right leg of his jeans to show a scar which wrapped up his leg from his ankle to his knee looking like a jagged web of sorts. Ruby hummed, having already seen the scar while travelling with team RNJR, but Skuld’s jaw dropped slightly before she winced in sympathy.

“I got this just before I turned fifteen,” he grinned at Ruby, who somehow grinned back still. “I stepped into a bath of scalding water to get some medicine from the cabinet that my sister couldn’t reach.”

“Knowingly and willingly?” Skuld gasped with wide eyes. 

“Oh yes,” Jaune replied. “My sister had a cat which needed the medicine faster than we could wait for the water to cool. Couldn’t drain it either, because the water was there for something mum was doing. Still think you can beat that, Rubes?”

The cloak on Ruby’s shoulders was shifted to the side and the cream white high neck blouse was stretched to be pulled to the side to show off the start of a scar which started at her shoulder, jagged and slightly darker than her skin. It was a scar that sat snugly between her neck and her collarbone and it stretched down, connecting to a discoloured patch of skin that Jaune had never wondered about until now, and disappeared under her corset.

“It extends from my shoulder to my hip,” she hummed, indicating with her hand to show what would have been a diagonal scar down her entire torso, wiping the smile off of Jaune’s face. “I don’t know how I got it. I’ve had it since I was five. Bá and Yang know, and so does Nora, but I haven’t told anyone because I honestly don’t know how I got it. Mum may have known… but no one knows how I got it.”

“Nora… knows?” Jaune asked, shocked. “How… how aren’t you concerned about this Ruby?”

“Because it is just a scar now,” Ruby replied simply. “I can’t do anything about it, I don’t know how I got it, and nothing has happened since. It’s just a scar, which I have had since I was five.”

Jaune somehow felt that Ruby was trying to reassure him that she was fine. The knight inspected Ruby’s expression and found that she was truly not bothered by this scar. Though… if it was a scar from when she was five then that made sense. The blonde teen ran his hand though his hair and sighed. Alright, he would accept that. A grin filtered onto his face weakly.

“I owe you a hundred lien then, don’t I?” he asked, laughing quietly. 

“What’s lien?”

The voice of Pence jolted the trio out of the little bubble of information sharing that had built around them. It seemed all three of them had forgotten they were on another world, because even Skuld had jumped in surprise.

“Oh, it’s just a currency we use, not from here,” Ruby replied with a smile, turning to face Pence and his two friends who had come up behind them while they were talking. The three Twilight Town teens grinned and accepted that answer. “Where are you three headed?”

“We were heading to the old mansion!” Olette replied with a grin. “Pence said that something was going down. Wanna come with us?”

“Sure!” Ruby agreed after getting an agreeing nod from Jaune and a thumbs up from Skuld. Jaune felt a slight chill run down his spine. _Like a Grimm walking over his grave_, as his mum used to say. Something bad was going to happen… he could sense it. He really should learn to follow his instincts, if he knew what they were going to see Jaune would have pulled Skuld and Ruby away and told them no.

◇◆◇◆◇

Jaune felt both Ruby and Skuld tense next to him when they watched a silver haired man who looked a bit like Xemnas step out of a dark portal with a blonde man. Something told the knight that the two girls were reacting to two different men, not the same one. Hayner, Pence and Olette had lead Jaune, Ruby and Skuld through the waterways to bring them out here, and now they had an issue. The blonde knight truly should have trusted his instincts.

“Well, this makes things difficult,” Ruby murmured as she pulled Skuld back into the bushes behind them, a move that was anticipating the off chance that either man looked back. “I assume that the older blonde man is the Ansem that Xigbar sent us here to meet, but we don’t want to be seen by that silver haired man…”

There were a few moments of silence before Hayner spoke up.

“So… you need to talk to the older guy, but avoid the evil guy?” he asked to clarify, looking at the girl with red tips to her hair, gaining a nod from Ruby. “Well then… leave this to us, I have an idea. You three go meet us in the waterway. Olette, you circle around to get that blonde guy. Pence, can you cause a distraction?”

The spikey haired teen grinned before he walked towards the mansion with Hayner, both boys doing their best to stay out of the line of vision that the gates provided, while Olette disappeared in the opposite direction. Ruby and Skuld exchanged a glance before they both quietly backed away from the tree they had been spying behind.

“Come on Jaune,” Skuld hummed, her amber brown eyes wide. Jaune held up a hand though.

“Wait, I want to see what they do,” he whispered back. Ruby glanced between the gate and the way they had to go to get back to the waterway.

“Jaune, we have to go now,” the reaper insisted quietly. “While no one is looking this way.”

“Heeeeello!” They heard Pence call loudly. Ruby and Jaune winced. Both of the adults were now clearly looking towards the gates. Jaune sighed and then nodded to Ruby. He scanned the forest behind them. He spotted a path that would keep them mostly out of sight from anyone looking at them from the mansion and he made a quiet hissing noise, pointing out the path. Ruby raised her hand and signed out a question in the basic sign language that they had been taught at Beacon. When Jaune nodded, Ruby took three steps backwards before spinning on her heel and dashing for the tree behind them.

“Three seconds and follow,” he instructed Skuld, hoping the woman wouldn’t question. Thankfully the black haired woman understood because three seconds after he had spoken, Skuld followed after Ruby. Jaune waited another three seconds before he too quickly made his way to the tree. The trio quickly made their way back to the waterway, using this stealth method to remain unseen until they were certain that they wouldn’t be seen. Once in the safety of the waterways, looking around at the stone walls, Skuld turned to the two teens with her.

“You learned that at school?” she asked incredulously.

“Technically it was a combat school,” Ruby hummed.

“Equivalent to a university of sorts,” Jaune added. Skuld inspected the pair, her eyebrow raised. She nodded though, if a bit hesitant to believe that. She opened her mouth to say more, but sighed.

“Let’s wait for those three to bring… Master Ansem here,” is what she said instead after a moment. Ruby sighed and sat on the slightly damp floor. Jaune smiled, knowing that she was wishing she had her scroll on her, to make the wait shorter. Thankfully they only had to wait a minute more, as Olette ran in with the blonde elder following her.

“Jaune! Ruby! Skuld!” she called with relief, jogging up to them. Ansem followed more slowly, clearly just as winded at the teen girl with brown hair. Once they had both caught their breath, the man straightened and looked at the three who had been waiting, his eyes pausing on Skuld. His amber red eyes widened, however before he could speak, Hayner and Pence also ran in.

“You three,” the man said to the Twilight Town teens. “You are Roxas’ friends…”

“Yeah!” Hayner hummed at the same time that Ruby asked; “Who’s Roxas?”

“Roxas was this kid that we were friends with in a data world,” Pence said with a grin. “Well… data us, but it’s basically the same thing! The only proof that we have that we were friends is this picture.”

Hayner pulled out a photo as his friend spoke and showed it to Ruby. Jaune joined Skuld in looking over the reaper’s shoulder. The picture showed Hayner, Pence and Olette, plus a blonde boy with blue eyes, who’s hair was a paler shade of blonde to Jaune, and far spikier than Sora’s. Jaune hummed thoughtfully as he looked at Roxas. These kids were trying to find their friend then?

Olette gasped, drawing Jaune out of his musing, forcing him to turn around. A few slithering creatures that looked a bit like the scythe wielding reaper-looking Nobody that had been with Ruby and Marluxia on Corona appeared, before a man with golden eyes and long blonde hair appeared in the middle of the creatures. Ruby took a step to the side, and Jaune threw his arm in front of her protectively.

“Even, is that you?” the older blonde man asked. The golden eyes of the newcomer flickered around the group, like the elder, pausing briefly on Skuld, before he bowed deeply.

“Master Ansem…” he said reverently. “When I had heard that Xemnas was looking for you, I knew I had an opportunity to find you myself… but never did I expect to find Subject X with you as well.”

“My name is Skuld,” the black haired woman snapped. The man with the Nobodies, Even apparently, held up his hands.

“Forgive me,” he murmured. “I didn’t know, but I hope you will allow me a chance to atone for my past crimes, Miss Skuld.”

There was silence that drifted around the group. Skuld was staring at Even, her amber-brown eyes narrowed, meeting the golden eyes of the Nobody. Jaune could see her hand twitch as if she wanted to snatch up a weapon that wasn’t there. The woman then looked to Ansem, who was watching her with sorrowful eyes.

“Child, I regret what happened to you every day of my life,” he murmured. It took a few moments more, but Skuld relaxed, nodding shortly. Ruby made a small sighing sound, gaining the attention of the group again. While Skuld may have relaxed, Ruby hadn’t really; Jaune could see her warily watching Even. 

“You’re a part of the Organisation,” the young reaper noted. “Even…. Venex then? Dad… mentioned someone like you… but I don’t remember, he mainly spoke about the Organisation without mentioning names.”

“Vexen,” the Nobody corrected, his expression tightening at the mispronunciation of his name, looking Ruby over from head to toe. Whatever he saw made a small sneer form on his face. “Ah, you are Marluxia’s child then? You are what Xemnas is holding over his head? … I was amused knowing that Xemnas had something on him to keep him leashed… but to know what that leash is…”

“What do you plan on doing with that information?” Ruby challenged, her hand shifting behind her to reach for Miló warily. “What are you going to tell Xemnas?”

“Nothing,” Even, Vexen, whoever he was, replied. Jaune crossed his arms, feeling the disbelief practically ooze off of Ruby beside him. Silence extended for a minute, the two teens from Remnant clearly waiting for Vexen to say more, while the blonde man stared back at them, inspecting them, appraising them.

“Perhaps I should be concerned with what you intend to do with the knowledge that _I_ am betraying the Organisation,” he finally hummed, looking at Ruby with sharp golden eyes. Jaune took a step back in surprise. Why was he looking at Ruby? He didn’t seem to be a threat. The knight turned his own gaze at Ruby who looked a bit like a deer caught in headlights, as if she had been caught.

“Ruby?” Jaune asked. Ruby sighed and brought her hand up to grip her arm. She looked away from Jaune and at the ground.

“Nothing,” she sighed, repeating what the Nobody had just said, and then her voice grew more determined. “I won’t tell him anything either. Jaune, I’m trusting you to find the answers we need from Ansem here, and help Skuld. I’m going to find Xemnas.”

“Alright then, stay saf_” Jaune cut off when his mind finally caught up, only to stop. “Wait _**what?**_”

Had he heard Ruby right? She was going after Xemnas? Why? How? When had she decided to do this? Ruby turned to him fully and Jaune found himself staring into determined sterling silver eyes. It had been a long time since Ruby had looked this determined. Sure, she had been determined when they were walking to Mistral, but even then they didn’t really know what they would be able to do when they reached Haven Academy. Talk to the Headmaster? Warn him against… something? The look in Ruby’s eyes however told Jaune that the young reaper knew exactly what she was doing, knew exactly how she wanted to accomplish it, and she was determined to see it though. Ruby took a breath.

"There's something I need to do that only I can do,” she said, there was no doubt or hesitation in her voice, and Jaune was reminded of the girl he had first met at Beacon, the leader that had grown with him and supported him before the school fell. “It would be stupid for us both to go, and you have no connection there. I do, and you have more freedom than I do. You go with Skuld and Ansem... I will go with Xemnas, and do what I do best."

Jaune wanted to protest. He wanted to shut her down, tell her no, tell her to stop being ridiculous and to help him find the answers. But he already knew that Ruby wouldn’t. That’s who Ruby was. She finally found a resolve that she was entirely happy with, something that she wanted to do, and was able to do. Nothing the blonde knight would or could say would stop her.

“Alright,” he agreed with a sigh. “But stay safe, alright?! I won’t hesitate to fight the whole Organisation on my own if I have to.”

“Two rules Jaune,” Ruby hummed. “No joining the Guardians of Light.”

“And no joining the Organisation, I know!”

“Will you be alright, Ruby?” Skuld asked, making the young teen look around. The girl grinned confidently.

“Don’t worry about me!” she chirped. “I’ve got Leyland here to keep me safe.”

Before anyone could ask who Leyland was, the Reaper Nobody that had been following Ruby since Corona, which had disappeared when Jaune and Ruby had gotten to the Kingdom, which Jaune had almost forgotten about, appeared in a swirl of white and black. 

“You… _named_ it?” Vexen asked, his voice dripping with incredulity. Ruby made a sound of amusement, trying to hold back her laughter.

“Of course not,” she snickered. “He told me his name.”

A certain gleam came to Vexen’s eyes but Ruby was already leaving. 

“Right, see you guys later!” she grinned before she ran towards the exit. Skuld shot Jaune a questioning glance, to which the teen responded with a helplessly wry shrug. Ruby would be Ruby. 

◇◆◇◆◇

Something tingled under Ruby’s skin, a feeling of eagerness which she hadn’t felt since Penny had died. For the first time since Beacon had fallen, Ruby felt like wings were bursting from her back and her eyes had a clear path forward. She saw the exit for the waterway and hummed as she considered where she would go to wait for Xemnas. As she climbed out, the Reaper with her disappeared again. 

“I should try get to a roof,” Ruby commented out loud, mostly to herself, but also to the Lesser Nobody that was still nearby. “Every time I’ve seen Xemnas so far, it’s been when no one has been around, aside from a few people, but the streets of Twilight Town have too many people.”

Silver eyes scanned the town for a way to scale the walls. Her answer came when she spied some stacked boxes and a rather sturdy looking plant box.

“Huh, convenient,” came her quiet hum as she walked over. Climbing up was harder, and made her lack of semblance very noticeable. Not one to just give up however, Ruby did her best to pull herself onto the roof, doing so with the ease that came from training, even if she was used to using her semblance to bounce up onto platforms.

Once she was up there however, Ruby found herself looking around the world that she could see, look at the town that made up this whole world, and her silver eyes widened as she confirmed a suspicion she had upon coming here. _This town was the entirety of this world, and it was the only world that some of these people knew._ The Reaper Nobody floated beside her.

With her red cloak and the Nobody beside her, anyone looking up would have been forgiven for thinking that she was a threat, but no one looked up. No one ever did. That was why when a Dark Corridor opened behind her, Ruby didn’t turn around, because she knew who it was.

“You’re late,” she noted cheerfully, her eyes flickering up to the Reaper Nobody. Would it follow the command that Marluxia had given it? _If Xemnas comes anywhere NEAR Ruby;_ **kill** _him._ Ruby remembered, and she was curious to see if it would, however the Reaper Nobody didn’t move other than to remain floating at her side.

“Oh?” Xemnas drawled, his footsteps indicating that he was approaching her. He stopped behind her and Ruby tried not to flinch when his hand came down upon her shoulder. “You were waiting? And here I thought you would have fled with that knave of yours.”

Somehow Ruby thought that Xemnas wasn’t talking about Jaune. Or perhaps he was.

“You made your terms clear,” Ruby replied, turning her head so that she could meet the silver haired Nobody’s golden eyes. “I am merely doing as you said.”

Xemnas’ eyebrow rose rather elegantly as he gave Ruby a look which spoke of his scepticism. The young reaper smiled up at him angelically, not saying anything more. The Nobody and the teen stared at each other for a few seconds. Just as Ruby was about to turn back, Xemnas took his hand off Ruby’s shoulder and gestured to the Dark Corridor that was still open. The message was clear. He was inviting her to prove that she was waiting and not trying to bluff her way out of the situation.

“Where does this one lead?” she asked as she turned to face the inky portal of Darkness.

“Running away?” Xemnas inquired smoothly.

“Hardly,” Ruby snorted, walking towards the portal. “I thought the polite thing to do would be explaining were something leads though.”

“The world is of no importance,” the Nobody replied. “But I am taking you to meet the _Superior._”

Ruby paused, hearing the bitterness and resentment that dripped from that single word. Even though Xemnas’ face remained unchanged; that one word was filled with so much emotion, buried under sinking resignation, Ruby couldn’t help but send a look at the Nobody, before she walked through the Dark Corridor. The Reaper Nobody followed her closely. As she walked, Ruby thought about the burst of emotion from Xemnas.

It really wasn’t much, it almost wasn’t there, but the teen was always good at sensing other’s emotions, even if she didn’t always know how to respond. Xemnas… didn’t like Xehanort. _But isn’t Xemnas the Nobody of Xehanort?_ One last thing stood out to Ruby as she kept walking, her eyes landing on the apparent exit. The young reaper was shocked to realise that the silver haired Nobody was not acknowledging whatever it was he was feeling. The way that Xemnas’ face never changed expression told her this. _But why?_

When she stepped out of the Dark Corridor, Ruby found herself unable to think further because she was now standing in a vast desert that made her heart twist in despair. Something was off with this new world. Spinning around, she faced Xemnas who had dismissed the portal behind him.

“Where are we?” she asked. “What is this place?”

It was not Xemnas who answered her however.

“This is the Keyblade Graveyard,” a chillingly familiar voice said. The voice of the man who had taken her father from Remnant, the same man who had held a Keyblade to her back to force Lauriam to agree to go with him; _Xehanort._ Golden eyes inspected her, before a quiet, sinister chuckle slipped from his lips. 

“Did you know I once had Silver Eyes?” He asked in a conversational manner, not at all elaborating on the world. “The power they held only existed on your world. I could never get the power to manifest anywhere but on your world. Remnant, it gifts you with power but strips you of so much. Tell me girl, what do you think?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you ever write Xemnas lines and open up a thesaurus to find a fancier insult? Well I... didn't actually XD I went to the dictionary to make sure that the fancy insult I was using actually meant what I was intending it to mean.
> 
> 5170ish words, 15 pages, and several rewrites of scenes later, we have chapter 27! Gosh, there is so much here. But oh no! Ruby is back with Organisation 13!!! But, she isn't joining them. Nope, she won't be a "back up" darkness, she won't be a Seeker. Too many unknowns surrounding her and not enough time for Vexen to work them out for her to actually be a viable Seeker. No, she's just here to <strike>be a corroding force of nature</strike> I mean, ensure that Marly does his job. Nothing more.
> 
> Marluxia: ... Are you sure we read the same chapter, Arya? Ruby's got something up her sleeve.
> 
> Only her natural born empathy, Marly! And a motivation. Several. Actually. She has nothing on her except what she has in RWBY. Empathy and now a lot of free time. And look! We have Larxene and several interesting Organisation members here too. We have some important conversations coming up. Very important. 
> 
> Marluxia: ............. Right. And what did Strelitzia mean when she asked Ruby to save the Organisation. One side has to loose and it's obviously not going to be the Guardians.  
Xigbar: Ah, my _dear_ Marluxia. Broaden ya mind a bit eh? There's more than one way to "save" someone and it isn't always obvious how. By the way, did'ja see what happened last chapter? Freaky huh?
> 
> And with that I shall leave off with this proclamation: XEHANORT HAD SILVER EYES!!!!!!! Eraqus did too, but why would the Old Man bring that up? Ruby gonna learn about Silver Eyes, but she's also learned some slightly more interesting information... just like her Aura and Semblance, Silver Eyes don't work outside of Remnant either... huh, I wonder why? _*innocent smile*_


	28. Red Like Roses pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Keyblade Graveyard was a boring world which reeked of despair, so why then is it bringing forth some of the most interesting conversations Ruby has ever had?

_“Remnant, it gifts you with power but strips you of so much. Tell me girl, what do you think?”_

Ruby blinked in surprise. That wasn’t what she expected the Old Man to say. He had spoken about the Silver Eye power that she barely knew about herself, and then he asked her what she _thought?_ Thought about what? Remnant?

“I think it would be nice to have a manual for all this power it gives us,” the young reaper replied, her tone somewhat nervously joking. Really, how else could she respond? “Not that it helps outside of Remnant.”

The expression on Xehanort’s face was mocking. Ruby swallowed but stood tall, staring into the burning golden gaze of the man who had caused these events to happen. She somehow knew that the next words the man would say would be aimed to cut at her. Had she given him ammunition to use against her? Re-examining her own words, she realised what weapon she had given this man right before he stabbed her with it.

“Yes, that is correct,” he laughed, the sound grating on Ruby’s nerves. “You have no power here, not any that you are familiar with that is. You aren’t a threat to this Organisation, as I am sure you hoped to be when you willingly walked through the Dark Corridor. I am sure you have been discovering new abilities during your time off your world, but you would be completely hopeless in a fight against even one of the Guardians of Light.”

Ruby’s eyes narrowed. Did he think that she didn’t know that? She could fight him right here, but even she recognised that if she tried; she would likely be cut down before she could even take a step forward. Unconsciously she took a step back towards Xemnas, as if her mind had categorised the silver haired Nobody as _“safer”_ than Xehanort. The old man’s golden eyes hold the narrow eyed, silver glare that Ruby was giving him and he raised an eyebrow.

“You have fire, I will give you that,” he hummed, before turning away and waving his hand dismissively. “I do wonder what it would take to extinguish you. I will let you do as you please here, you can’t get in our way.”

When he started to walk away with his hands folded behind his back it became clear that the conversation was over. A moment passed before Ruby let out the breath she didn’t realise that she had been holding. The general aura that Xehanort had was so _dark_, he felt closer to a Grimm than a man. But it wasn’t wild and uncontrollable; it was… focused, controlled. … Ruby wasn’t sure what she thought of that.

“You are a curious child,” Xemnas commented in his bland voice, tone almost mocking. “You were so tense meeting _him_, yet you relaxed the moment he was gone despite the fact that I am still here, despite the fact that you have no reason to relax.”

“Better the Demon I know than the Grimm I don’t,” Ruby responded softly, looking up and catching the brief flash of curiosity that came from her words. “Just a saying from Remnant. I know what you will do to me should I cross the lines you set, or I can at least imagine. The Old Man though, I don’t know what lines he has, don’t know what he’ll do.”

“So you trust your captor over his _superior_?” the silver haired Nobody asked, raising his eyebrow. There it was again, the slight change in tone when Xemnas called Xehanort ‘Superior’. Ruby let out a sigh, now was a better time than any to return her own questions onto this man.

"Why did you kidnap me anyway, when you don't seem to care what I do?” she asked curiously, wondering what the answer would be. “Why did you care enough about what dad was doing to kidnap me?"

That caused Xemnas to pause. Ruby watched as something flashed through his gaze. It was a few moments before the golden eyed man answered her, and his face dropped into a very specific kind of blankness. Not the face of someone with no emotions, but the face of someone refusing to feel.

“Marluxia betrayed the Organisation,” Xemnas replied. “He set his own strength against my own and I took you to show to him, and the rest of the Organisation, what happens should they decide to disobey the power of my command.”

There was something off about that statement. Everything about Xemnas was off. Ruby stared at Xemnas, her silver eyes searching, looking for _something_. The silver eyed girl stared at the silver haired man for a long minute as her mind searched both the man before her and her memories, and then the missing link was found. The one piece of understanding that Ruby had been looking for, which explained the off feeling that Xemnas gave off. With a sigh Ruby turned away.

“What power?” Ruby murmured sadly under her breath, ignoring the Nobody as his gaze sharpened on her. “You don’t have any power anymore. You’re just trying to convince yourself that you do.”

There were a few more moments of silence before Xemnas spoke again. She heard, rather than saw; Xemnas’ open his mouth and then close it with a snap, before he made a new statement. 

“… After this war reaches its conclusion, I will bring you back to your home world,” and then the sound of boots spinning in dirt and walking away reached her ears. Ruby looked over her shoulder as Xemnas left, surprise forming on her face at his words. It seems she had hit a bit more than a few of his button. Then another sigh escaping her lips; left to her own devices in a desert of all places. Joy.

◇◆◇◆◇

There were three problems with being left to your own devices in a desert graveyard. The first problem was boredom. Ruby was bored out of her mind within a few minutes. She had started to wander aimlessly looking for something, _anything_, to capture her interest. She really wasn't getting anywhere. Her father's Reaper Nobody had been leading her in circles because she didn't want to train. 

Ruby's boredom turned into her thinking, her second problem. This desert was hauntingly familiar... but she didn't recognise the place at all. _<strike>She could almost hear the clash of Keyblades.</strike>_ In the distance she could see the masses of Keyblades that were stuck into the ground. The Nobody beside her told her that this world was called the Keyblade Graveyard and was the lingering memorial to a war that tore everything asunder. _<strike>A war fought by children...</strike>_ Ruby looked away quickly. She instead chose to sit down in the dust and sand and pick up a rock, turn her attention to something else forcibly. She tossed the rock into the air and caught it. Ruby stared at the rock and hummed quietly as she tried to imagine a face on it. 

_ <strike>"Hey Ruby, what about this rock? Who does it remind you of?"</strike> _

_ <strike>"It looks like Mr Bronze who works in the Library. What about this one Braig?"</strike> _

_ <strike>"It looks... like my older brother, Aced."</strike> _

The crunch of the desert under boots snapped Ruby out of her thoughts. Her third problem; any one of the Organisation members could show up at any point to talk to her or whatever “evil” organisations did these days.

"So... you're the kid Marly hid from me?"

The question threw Ruby off. That wasn’t what she was expecting this person to say. It was a woman, and when the young reaper turned her head she saw that it was a blonde woman with the same golden eyes as everyone else in the Organisation _<strike>but her eyes should have been electric blue.</strike>_

“Elr_?” Ruby started before she cut off, confusion swamping over her. What was she about to say? Why was this feeling so similar to when she had met Skuld? Ruby didn’t know this woman, yet somehow she was going to say a name, clearly the correct name too, because the woman, whoever she was, stared at Ruby with shock.

“How do you know my Somebody name?” she demanded. Ruby leaned away, scrambling to her feet, leaving the rock she had been staring at on the ground. She held up her hands defensively.

“I don’t know your name,” Ruby gasped. “I swear I don’t, I don’t know what I was going to say or how I could have known it! What was I about to say?!”

Gloved hands rested on hips as the blonde woman leaned forward and stared at the teen. Silence echoed out for a few moments before the woman huffed in frustration.

“You are one weird kid, I almost don’t believe you’re Marluxia’s,” she sighed, not answering Ruby’s question. “I’m your Aunt, Larxene, got it? Don’t you go forgetting that; I might get sad.”

Her face was flat deadpan for a few seconds before she burst into derisive laughter. As the woman, Larxene, laughed, Ruby was left confused. She took a moment to inspect the woman, who had just introduced herself as her aunt. Only one thought came to Ruby’s mind at that, and before she could stop the words, Ruby made a statement she wished she could retract.

“You’re not Aunt Strelitzia.”

Larxene stopped and looked at Ruby, as if she was truly looking at her for the first time, her golden eyes wide with clouded recognition. The woman walked up to the black-red haired teen and stared down at her. Her gaze was searching. The reaper Nobody beside Ruby made a small clicking sound.

“Alright, you know what kid?” the blonde woman hummed, her eyes wary. “Come with me, you’re not allowed to say weird shit for the rest of the day.”

Ruby yelped her protest as the woman grabbed her hand and dragged her away from where she had chosen to sit. The young reaper didn’t know where she was being taken, but she didn’t fight. Despite Larxene’s general demeanour, Ruby knew that she could trust her. She didn’t know how, but her heart had already chosen to trust this woman, and something deep within her cried silently to see the golden eyes. So the teen allowed Larxene to pull her away, the reaper Nobody following behind.

◇◆◇◆◇

Amusingly enough, Larxene very quickly let go of her hand and had taken to animatedly complaining about Xehanort, whom she called the ‘old geezer’, and everything about the “stupid war they were setting up for”. Ruby couldn’t help but nod along in agreement, fascinated by how diversely Larxene could throw shade and anything and anyone and it could be either a compliment or an insult, or both at the same time.

This wasn’t the real Larxene. 

None of her words, her tone, it felt fake, a bit like the time that Jaune tried to convince teams RWBY and JNPR that he wasn’t being bullied by CRDL. Ruby was about to make a comment on this when Larxene’s eyes shifted to a point behind Ruby and her face flattened.

“What are you doing here Luxord?” she asked rudely, making Ruby spin on her heel. “Don’t you have a world you need to be getting to?”

“Not yet, dear Larxene,” purred a voice with a posh accent. “I wanted to meet the girl who caused Marluxia to lose his composure.”

Ruby’s silver eyes widened as she looked at the newcomer, a blonde man with short hair and a goatee. His ears were pierced and just like every other member of this Organisation, his eyes were the same burning gold as Xehanort’s eyes. She swallowed. Every person she met today just felt off, like there was something missing. _What did you mean by save them, Auntie Strelitzia?_

“Hmmm how is your Blessing of Lux treating you, child?” he asked, shifting his gaze onto Ruby. Confusion must have radiated from Ruby because he started laughing heartily. Who was it that claimed that Nobodies had no hearts again? Ruby wanted to find them and shoot them. The man, Luxord from the way Larxene had addressed him, held out his hand to Ruby, a smirk on his face.

“How about a game of cards, _for old time’s sake?”_

“Um… Okay?” Ruby asked, perplexed by this man. For old time’s sake? What did he mean? Larxene sighed dramatically before jabbing her thumb over her shoulder at a patch of desert that would be in shade for a while. 

“Let’s play over there,” she said shortly.

“Why, Larxene, I wasn’t aware you would be joining us!” Luxord demurred, his smirk growing. The glare that Larxene threw the platinum blonde man was scathing.

“If you think I’ll let my niece play a game against you, then you have another thing coming.”

Another thing that Ruby very quickly learned was that Larxene had already taken to the idea of being an Aunt, and seemingly wanted to teach Ruby a few things. Despite the situation she was in, Ruby couldn’t help but laugh. This pair… their banter felt so comforting and reminded her of her friends. It was familiar. Ruby missed the look of triumph on Luxord’s face.

“Come along then, I have limited time and you know how much I despise wasting a good game time,” the man said as he lead his way over to the patch of ground that Larxene had indicated. He sat down and pulled a deck of cards from his sleeves before he tapped the cracked soil with them. Ruby was still snickering as she sat to one side, Larxene begrudgingly sitting across from her. And just like that Luxord pulled out a pack of cards and started shuffling them.

“We can play the usual,” he hummed, dealing out the cards until they were all gone. “Don’t worry Ruby; you’ll know how to play.”

The young reaper nodded hesitantly as she picked up her cards. It was a standard deck of fifty-two, insanely normal considering everything that she had seen since being taken from Remnant. Larxene snorted derisively as she picked up her own cards. The game, as Luxord had assured, was one that Ruby knew how to play, but she couldn’t remember what it was called or where she had played it. It didn’t really matter however because Luxord was somehow winning anyway. The man distracted Ruby with conversation however.

“So what do you think of the worlds outside your own, Ruby?” he asked as he places down a three of clubs. Ruby sighed and tossed down a four.

“Well Corona was interesting,” she hummed, looking over at Larxene who looked bored. “And Twilight Town was nice I guess for the day and a half I was there. This world is dull.”

“Isn’t that the truth,” Larxene agreed with a snort as she threw a six onto the pile of cards. “I just want to leave this damned place. Who’s brilliant idea was it to chuck the Castle into the Realm of Sleep anyway? We could have used that!”

“Ah, but my dear Larxene,” the blonde man demurred as he placed his card and pushed the pile aside to start a new pile. “We’ve all tried to escape our fates before, and look how that ended. It is only a matter of time before destiny pushes us back to the winds again.”

There was a few moments of silence that followed that. Ruby found herself thinking about Pyrrha and what Jaune had said about her. Destiny… destiny was not a kind force. _<strike>Destiny ruins everything.</strike>_ It was a thought that Ruby wanted to banish from her mind, she didn’t want to think about Pyrrha _<strike>about everything that happened.</strike>_ She looked at the cards in her hand and placed a ten down slowly.

“I don’t like destiny anymore,” she murmured. Luxord gave her a sharp look, it was searching. He seemed to be looking into her soul. After a moment he gave a quiet hum.

“No,” he replied. “I don’t imagine you would.”

Ruby met his gaze and found herself confused by the man’s words. _What did he mean?_ While he looked back down at his cards, Ruby stared at him a moment longer before dragging her eyes to Larxene who was looking more and more irritated. Ruby sighed and returned her focus to the game before them. With a small sigh, she discarded a four after Luxord placed his card down. Their game continued in silence for a bit.

Until Ruby placed a card without looking at how many cards Larxene and Luxord had left. She placed her card, then Larxene placed another, and then…

“That was a terrible play,” the man laughed as he placed down an ace. Ruby snarled and searched her hand only to find there was nothing she could put down. Two sets of footsteps approached the group, but Ruby ignored them as she placed her cards face down on the ground.

“Ugh, I have nothing,” she groaned, pressing her hand to her forehead. Larxene was also snarling funnily enough, before she threw her cards down in disgust. Luxord only had one card left, which meant that he was the winner as he placed it down, smirk on his face as his eyes shifted to Ruby.

“Truly fascinating,” he hummed. “I must say I’ve never won a card game against you before.”

Now that was a confusing statement. _She’s never… played cards… with this man… before?_ She opened her mouth to say something as Luxord stood up, but a young haughty voice spoke up from behind them.

“Geez, just talk about secrets in another language why don’t you,” the voice scoffed, clearly directed at the trio who had just finished their game. Ruby turned around to see a teen with longish silver hair which fell over his head in a slightly wild manner, a hairstyle which almost reminded her of Sora, walking beside another boy, with a black helmet on his head. What did the silver haired teen mean by ‘another language?’

“Secrets?” the boy with the helmet responded with a laugh. “Them? Hardly, they’re probably talking about something stupid. Or complaining about the Old Man in a way that he won’t be able to understand them.”

“You’re giving the idiots too much credit, Vanitas,” the silver haired boy grinned. Ruby was confused.

“What?” she breathed quietly, hearing Larxene gasp quietly, but not paying it any mind. “What are they talking about?”

“Oh, don’t mind them, Ruby,” Luxord reassured, gaining a sharp look from Larxene who seemed to have noticed something that Ruby had not. “They are just wasting everyone’s time saying things in obsolescence.”

The teen in the helmet stopped suddenly and turned to face the blonde man.

“Hey! Don’t insult us!!!”

Ruby watched as suddenly everyone froze in place. It was as if the temperature dropped as well, even though they were in the desert in broad daylight. The silver haired teen was staring at the helmeted teen with shock, Larxene was as well, but most surprisingly was Luxord’s reaction. He was _glaring_ at the teen in the helmet, Vanitas if Ruby had heard the other teen correctly. Something significant had happened, Ruby realised; something which she had missed. Vanitas seemed to realise that he has apparently made a mistake as well, because he took a step back from Luxord. The air was tense.

“So… it was you then,” the man growled out. Ruby’s eyes widened and she took a step forward only to be pulled back into the arms of Larxene.

“Nuh-uh kiddo,” she hissed into the young reaper’s ear. “Marly would kill me if you got hurt while I was watching you. Let… let Luxord deal with this.”

_Deal with what?_ Ruby wanted to ask. But her voice stopped working as Luxord summoned a different deck of cards, a deck of card which was very clearly _not_ meant for playing games with, a deck of cards which were very clearly _weapons._ Vanitas summoned his own weapon, a Keyblade of red and black which looked a bit like a spider’s web of sorts if Ruby really stretched her imagination.__

_ __ _

“I _know_ what you did to Strelitzia,” the somehow furious Nobody continued.

_ __ _

“You_!” Vanitas gasped. “You’re from_!!”

_ __ _

He was cut off as he was suddenly attacked by Luxord. The silver haired teen that had been walking with Vanitas jumped out of the way, his eyes glued to the fight which had just erupted. Ruby found she couldn’t look away from the fight either. There was something about it that felt off. Why were they fighting each other? Weren’t they on the same side of the war? Ruby was confused, but for some reason she didn’t feel concerned as she watched Luxord fight Vanitas. 

_ __ _

Cards he may have been using, but as weapons in the hands of a man who knew how to use them, Luxord was clearly more skilled than Vanitas. The boy gasped as a card hit and cracked his black helmet, having found an apparent weak point which had started forming.

_ __ _

_“I will not let you do the same to her.”_

_ __ _

Those words drifted to Ruby’s ears, making her silver eyes widen. She had seen Luxord’s mouth move, so it clearly been words that he had said, but they clearly weren’t meant to be heard by anyone by Vanitas. The glass of the helmet cracked away to reveal a black haired teen with golden eyes, on a face which looked identical to Sora. Vanitas’ golden eyes were wide, and Ruby could guess why. For just a moment, Luxord’s eyes burned blue, cutting away the gold.

_ __ _

Suddenly Luxord disappeared for a moment and reappeared behind Vanitas. In his hands was a beam of light instead of his cards which he used to cut down the black haired teen before it disappeared, a beam of light which could have been the summon of a Keyblade, but it hadn’t formed. Not that it wasn’t any less of an effective weapon as Vanitas fell forward, darkness bursting from him, before wisps of darkness start to rise from him.

_ __ _

“Now, what was it that _she_ always said…?” Luxord asked as he looked down at Vanitas who was starting to fade away. “Ah, yes, I remember. ‘On that fated land’… you are aware of the interpretation of the Prophecy that which I speak; do you not… _Vanitas_?”

_ __ _

The teen’s eyes widened with shock, as if he realised something. He looked like he was going to snap something back; however he didn’t get the chance before he faded away. Ruby realised her jaw had dropped when she closed it to swallow. Having watched the fight, she was both in shock and in awe. _What had just happened?_ It was only as Larxene pulled her away to find Marluxia that the young reaper made a startling realisation.

_ __ _

_How had Luxord known her name, when she had never once introduced herself?_

_ __ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I am back after just over a month of uni assignments and prac, and I have finally finished chapter 28! So much has happened in this time, and first off I would like to welcome anyone who has followed me here from FanFiction.net!!! I recently quit FFN, and thus this story is no longer being updated over there. I couldn't stand the edit box anymore. So here we are with the Final Mix version of this fanfic! Updating not on the weekend because I honestly want to after spending so long away from it.
> 
> Second thing that happened is this story was originally planned to only have one sequel and a bunch of lil one shots and side stories that would pop up, with one of these side stories being a prequel with Marly and Summer. Well now the main stories are a trilogy. Bloody Sakura Rose, Rose Gold Dandelions, and finally the new fic, Daffodils and Alstroemeria!!
> 
> Finally - Vanitas. He will return in RGD, however he won't be back in this fic. He has been defeated, literally before the Keyblade War of KH3 starts. Guess Xehanort is going to need to find another darkness now. He has two on reserve so it's fine! Why is Vanitas dead here? To set up stuff for the sequel. I was weighing up between keeping him alive, or giving another character more importance later, and I chose to give said character more importance later, but, this did cause Vanitas to end up in the sequel as well, so that is a bonus.
> 
> BEHOLD RUBY'S NATURAL EMPATHY AHAHAHAHAHAHA but also her swamping depths of confusion! She has questions, and I am sure that you all have questions too.
> 
> Next time - Conversations with more Org members, and Xigbar returns! Then a lil surprise at the end too.


	29. Misty Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Using different weapons was something Ruby was getting better at, but sometimes one needs to return to what they know well.

_“When the night is dark and the shadows are long,  
And you’re afraid you’re just drifting along,  
Remember the light, a little, little light,  
And remember the Dandelion’s song…”_

Ruby was singing quietly under her breath, a song which she swore was familiar to her, but she didn’t know its name or where she had heard it. It was probably a song from Remnant, maybe something her Mum used to sing to her, she didn’t have many clear memories of Summer anymore after all. The young reaper pushed the thought aside and kept singing quietly. She was bored and had nothing to do anyway.

_“The Dandelion may be small,  
And it may be ignored by all,  
But the Dandelion knows to fight,  
And will not go quiet in the night.”_

It was the next day already; Larxene had dragged her back to her father after Luxord had killed Vanitas. The blonde man had then gone off on his own mission soon after that, so Ruby had not seen him for the rest of the day. She had so many questions that she wanted to ask. Instead she listened to Marluxia as he told her that he was needed to go check on something for Xehanort, whatever that something was. Unfortunately Larxene had to leave today as well, so once again, Ruby was bored and left to her own devices; which was a shame because she had wanted to get to know her Aunt better. 

_“Let the Light touch your heart,  
Let it make the Darkness part.  
And when you know you’ve lost your way,  
The Dandelion… will…”_ Ruby’s voice trailed off as her silver eyes widened in realisation. This was… the lullaby that Skuld had been singing in Twilight Town; the one that the black haired woman hadn’t known all of. That was… strange, how did Skuld know part of it? Perhaps she had been to Remnant before losing her memories? _<strike>No, that’s not right.</strike>_ Ruby pondered the question for a moment before she sighed and sat down on a large flat rock that she was near.

“When the night is dark,” she murmured, her voice loosely singing but mostly talking now. “And the shadows are long, and you’re afraid you’re just drifting along… I am. I am just drifting along. Where has the Light gone?”

Ruby took a deep breath and closed her eyes, searching for something inside her. As if she had asked a question, there was a small spark of serene warmth which answered her. The young reaper smiled softly.

“I am where I am meant to be,” she murmured before she started singing quietly to herself again. Her soft singing however was interrupted by a new voice who had managed to sneak up on her. 

“You say that like it’s destiny that you are here.”

Ruby smiled in an almost twisted way, before she turned her head to face whoever it was who approached her. It was a teen boy, longer silver hair than that boy who had been with Vanitas yesterday, and, as with every other member of this cursed Organisation, he had golden eyes. The young reaper watched him warily as he walked up beside her and sat on the side of the rock which Ruby wasn’t sitting on.

“Destiny pokes into too much these days,” Ruby replied with a scoff. “It needs to leave us alone.”

“Oh but destiny leads us to where we’re meant to be,” the teen hummed, waving his hand. “Trust me; no one ever said we had to like it.”

A moment of silence stretched between the two before Ruby rolled her eyes. _<strike>Something about this teen was off, the same way that she had been.</strike>_ She wasn’t going to trust this boy, he reminded her too much of the Old Man.

"I once trusted the wrong person and then I watched as everything fell apart around me,” she said in response. “My friends retreated into their own routines and I couldn't say anything to draw them out, and the world burned when we should have stood together."

“Is that so?” The teen asked, raising his eyebrow with a small smirk on his face. “Am I to assume then that you do not trust me? I’m surprised, since, while not currently, we both have Silver Eyes. Perhaps we are destined to be friends.”

Ruby gave the teen a very flat look, gaining only a smirk in response. They stared at each other for a few moments, not saying anything. Then the young reaper sighed. Staring at this boy was getting her nowhere; she let her eyes drift back before her to the sprawling desert.

“Who are you?” she finally asked, not commenting on what the boy had said. Move the conversation on.

“I am Xehanort, though from a time long before now,” the silver haired teen replied. Well that explained why he reminded her of the Old Man. Though Ruby had to admit, even the Old Man’s apparent younger self was still far better company than the Old Man himself. The younger Xehanort still had more to say though. “I am here to help recreate the Keyblade War that was written about in the Book of Prophecies from long ago.”

That sent a cold chill up Ruby’s spine, but she didn’t know why.

“On that fated land, a great war will transpire,” Xehanort continued, gesturing to the Keyblades that littered the area. “Darkness will prevail and light expire.”

Ruby laughed softly as she considered the Organisation and their supposed enemy, the Guardians of Light. That was what this set up was about? A war between light and darkness? Over a prophecy that could be interpreted so many ways. Was this what Luxord had been talking about yesterday? But then, who was the “she” he had mentioned? Either way, Ruby found herself with only one question.

“Don't you think you're taking that a bit too literally?” she asked, her voice mildly curious. Xehanort stared at her with shock.

“I_ ... what?”

Interesting, it seemed that Ruby had surprised the eloquence out of him with her question. That was always a good place to start. Had there really been no consideration to interpretation of a prophecy _<strike>that had been written by a fool?</strike>_ Ruby would have rolled her eyes again, but she found that she couldn’t be bothered now.

“Prophecies are hardly ever that straightforward,” the young reaper clarified. “Haven't you tried to interpret it differently?”

There was a stretch of silence between the pair, caused by Xehanort seemingly thinking about what Ruby had said, or perhaps thinking about something entirely different. Ruby chose not to break it either, she just waited. If the younger Xehanort spoke, then she would continue the conversation as it flowed, if not, that was fine too. It took a few minutes, but Xehanort did finally speak.

“…………… unfortunately, not all of us have that luxury,” he hummed, causing Ruby to look at him briefly before she looked forward again. “We must press forward to the pace of another, following a path already set to a destiny that ends in only one thing.”

This conversation reminded her of that day at the docks when she had been talking to Blake after training with her father. The tone of this conversation had turned in a similar direction as well. Though this time, Ruby was doing what Blake had done, and she was asking the questions.

“… are you really happy with that?” she murmured. The teen’s voice was expressionless, but his words suggested that he wasn’t happy. Then again, what did Ruby know? This was the younger version of the Old Man who could compliment and belittle at the exact same time.

“Destiny killed my friends.”

Ruby’s breath caught in her throat. She had not been expecting that answer. It resonated with her strongly, memories threatening to wash over her. Xehanort had stopped looking at her and was staring forward now as well. The young reaper swallowed thickly, her hand coming up to unconsciously rub her shoulder, where her scar was hidden under cloth.

“… mine too,” she responded. The pair fell into a silence again after that. Ruby didn’t know what to think. There was a distinct disconnect that she could see between the young and old Xehanort. It was almost as if she could see the threads of destiny that were trying to tie them together. But the young Xehanort wasn’t where the Old Man was at yet. Something flitted at the edge of her consciousness, an old memory from when she was a small child… exploring the forest of Patch outside her home… _<strike>Encountering a man in a black coat…</strike>_

_ <strike>“Let me impart some wisdom upon you, Rosette.”</strike> _

“Someone once told me that words sometimes etch themselves into hearts,” Ruby stated softly, not looking at the younger self of the Old Man as she seemingly changed the subject. “That no matter how much you time travel, how many worldlines you jump, or how often your memories lost; your heart will never forget anything that has been etched into it.”

Xehanort looked at the girl beside him, surprise flitting over his face. He inspected the thought-lost reaper a moment. Silver eyes shifted to the side to meet gold. Ruby wasn’t entirely sure who had told her this, but she remembered it as clearly as if it had been told to her five minutes ago. This graveyard truly was boring if she was remembering fragments of old memories. _I wonder if this Graveyard will help me remember my mum…_

"And what words would you etch upon mine heart?" The silver haired teen asked curiously, or what Ruby thought was curiosity.

"Don't be destiny's plaything," she hummed, boredom in the Graveyard bringing her an uncharacteristic serenity. "When you return to your time, live out your life. This timeline is this time. Your time is not guaranteed to follow this path. So a single timeline has played out, what of it? What of the timelines you _haven’t_ seen. They exist as well.”

“You say that like the Book of Prophecies doesn’t exist,” Xehanort noted, causing Ruby to laugh quietly.

“It is a book,” she said. “A book of possibilities. Possibilities that came true for one timeline, but won’t for another. Somewhere… there is a timeline where our friends are alive.”

“You believe that?”

Ruby smiled slightly and didn’t answer the question. Silence was threatening to fall over them again, but the silence of the graveyard was broken by the ever too cheerful call of Xigbar.

“Hey, Spitfire!” the older man called. His voice had an instant effect on the young Xehanort; who frowned and stood up with a scoff before disappearing in a swirl of darkness. Ruby glared at the Freeshooter who merely raised his hands innocently. His one eye sparkled with mischief.

“I have a gift for you, Ruby,” Xigbar said as if he hadn’t just rudely interrupted the conversation. The teen raised her eyebrow as she stared at the eye-patched man. Another gift? What more could he possibly want to give her that he hadn’t already? Well she didn’t have to wait too long because Xigbar clapped his gloved hands together and in a small puff of sparkles and smoke, a grey cat-like creature with tabby stripes, little yellow cape and a pink stripped wallet appeared. Instinct had Ruby holding out her arms to catch the creature as it fell from where it appeared. It had stitched eyes, yet somehow it blinked them open to stare at her. The creature seemed surprised.

“Ah! Lady_!” it started only to pause as Xigbar raised his eyebrow. “Little Lady! You're related to my old wielder, yes? Lauriam? Mas_” here it paused again at another look from the Freeshooter. “Luxu said you're his daughter! I'm Chirithy! What's your name?”

“I’m Ruby…?” the young reaper replied uncertainly. What was this creature, this Chirithy?

“Chirithy here is what is known as a Dream Eater,” Xigbar explained, placing a gloved hand on Ruby’s head. “There were a whole bunch of ‘em that were created to help Keyblade wielders a long time ago.”

Ruby was quiet for a moment, leaning into the familiar feeling of a gloved hand ruffling her hair as she stared at Chirithy. The creature was cute, like a doll but it was alive, just like a child’s dream. It made her smile.

_ <strike>“Well, things are gonna get preeety hectic around here soon, but this spirit Chirithy is going to make your lives much easier! … hopefully.”</strike> _

The young reaper gently rubbed her fingers against Chirithy’s cheek, giggling slightly as the creature leaned into her touch. She looked up at Xigbar, smile still in place.

“Thank-you,” she hummed. There was a certain look in Xigbar’s eye but it disappeared quickly as he looked away. He rubbed the back of his head.

“Well, he was your dad’s,” Xigbar said, trying to brush away the thanks, rather uncharacteristically of him. Ruby pinned him with a stare, trying to read him for a moment. Then she sighed.

“I mean it,” she hummed. “Thank-you, Luxu.”

For some reason that had Xigbar grinning at her, a far more genuine expression than she had seen from him ever. He then changed the subject, inviting her to do some training, and not waiting for her to respond as he walked away. Ruby exchanged a look with Chirithy before she followed after the Freeshooter. As they walked, the man talked about different things, his old homeworld, different worlds he had been to, and Ruby listened intently. He led the young reaper to a decent stretch of uninterrupted land in the Graveyard. There was only one other person there, a shorter person, clearly part of the Organisation from the cloak, but the hood was up.

“Ah, Poppet,” Xigbar greeted with that faux-cheer of his. “Mind makin’ sure that neither Ruby or I cheat?”

This mysterious member, who Xigbar had called Poppet, nodded silently, walking to the side. Ruby stared and made a few observations. This person was a girl, about the same height as Ruby, but the young reaper couldn’t tell anything else about this girl. The hood covered her face, and all Ruby could see was this girl’s lips, set in an expressionless line. Xigbar’s hand rested on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry about Poppet there,” he said quietly. “When all is said and done she will be exactly where she’s meant to be. Saïx will make sure of that.”

Had it been anyone else, the Freeshooter’s words would have sounded ominous, and perhaps they were meant to be ominous, but Ruby somehow knew that Xigbar truly meant what he said. Taking his words at face value would miss the meaning buried beneath. _This girl would be with her friends._ Without another word, Xigbar took a few steps away from Ruby and summoned his arrowguns. The young reaper pulled Miló and Akoúo̱ off her back.

“Show me what you know, Spitfire,” the black-haired Nobody challenged, cocking his weapons at her. Ruby dashed at Xigbar with Pyrrha’s weapons, praying to her friend that she would win this spar. It only took a few dodges, hastily cast spells and one or two awkward strikes from Ruby before Xigbar called a halt. The black-with-red-tips haired girl stopped with confusion. They’d only been fighting for two minutes.

“That weapon isn’t working for you,” he said, holding up a hand as Ruby went to protest. “It works, as an improvised weapon, and you do have skill, however, that weapon wasn’t made for you. No matter how skilled you get with it, there will always be an awkwardness to how you fight if you keep using your friend’s weapon.”

“Well I can’t do anything about that, now can I?” Ruby asked irritably. Xigbar held up his hands, smirking again.

“Now just hold on a minute there Flame,” he replied with an amused voice. “Don’t go jumping the gun. I’m gonna teach ya how to summon a weapon, like Sharpshooters here, or your dad’s Graceful Dahlia.”

That silenced Ruby. Knowing that he now had the teen’s attention, Xigbar started explaining how to summon her own weapon. It sounded simple enough, and it helped that she now had an understanding of magic, reach into her own heart, draw out her weapon, however, when Ruby tried to do as the Nobody instructed, she got a brief flash, before nothing. She tried it several times, getting more and more irritated at each failure. It was as if her heart knew what to do, but her mind was telling her it was wrong. Xigbar stopped her with a hand, his face thoughtful. He didn’t speak for a few moments, then his face changed to a very serious expression.

“Hey, Spitfire, gotta question for ya.”

He what? Ruby looked up at him with a tilted head, noting a small conflicted spark in his golden eye. She hummed curiously, inviting him to continue. Xigbar seemed to think about his question for a few moments longer, before he straightened and looked at her, his golden eye seemingly staring into her heart.

“If someone you trusted unconditionally came up to you and promised you the power to save your family, what would you do to claim it?” he asked, causing Ruby’s breath to catch in her throat. Memories she couldn’t quite grasp hovered at the edges of her mind, there, but just out of reach. The question was a loaded one. The young reaper knew that the Nobody wanted her to actually think about the question. As she closed her eyes, she found herself searching her heart. Unconditional trust… that was the key there…

“… anything,” she replied, quietly. She knew how that sounded, but she also knew that it was true; she would do anything in the world to save her family.

“Really?” Xigbar asked, seemingly trying to surprised but looking as if he had already known the answer. “What if they were asking you to do something that you disagreed with?”

That was the root of the problem, wasn’t it? Sometimes that didn’t have an answer. Sometimes… sometimes it was Ruby herself who asked for that unconditional trust.

“… I would trust that this person had a reason,” she murmured, looking at her hands. “If I trust them unconditionally then I would know that they have some plan that I haven't seen the full picture of. Maybe I disagree with this one small part, but when looking at the bigger picture it probably makes more sense and I would agree. That’s why it’s unconditional trust. There are no conditions to it.”

A few moments of silence met her words, and Xigbar seemed to be inspecting her. Ruby shifted on her feet uncomfortably.

“… Do ya trust me, Spitfire?” he inquired. Their conversation had reached quieter tones now, and the sparring distance between them had closed. Now the pair was standing a metre apart. Ruby closed her eyes. _Do you trust Xigbar? … Trusting him hurts._ The conversation that she had with her father on Corona echoed in her head. Yes, she trusted him, but her heart hurt for some reason she couldn’t comprehend, as if they had fought before. _But when? Ruby hadn’t met this man before the Vytal festival._ As much as it hurt though, it was enough answer for her. The hurt wasn’t one that was pushing her away, it was a hurt that cried out to be healed.

“… what do you want me to do?” she responded, looking up to meet Xigbar’s gaze.

“I want ya to summon that weapon that is lyin' dormant in your heart.”

It was such a simple instruction, and the way that he said the words… it was if he was telling her that she already knew how. Perhaps she did. Xigbar took a few steps backwards as Ruby held out her hand before her. The young reaper stared at her hand, feeling the power which built up. Light flashed out mixed with rose petals which appeared and her hand closed around the shaft of a scythe which felt to be the same weight as Graceful Dahlia.

The shaft looked to be made of clouds, coiling around tightly, coloured with pastel blue and yellow, before it turned to grey then black, meeting the cross guard which was a blooming red rose. From the rose spiked two leaves, one was pointing upwards while the other extended out to be the scythe blade. Curiously enough, the counter balance that was opposite the blade was not another leaf, but a heart shaped piece which was embossed around the edges in gold.

It was a beautiful weapon, but there was a small waver in Ruby’s heart when she saw it, even as she stood it up so that she was standing under the blade, holding it beside her. It was taller than she was, but it didn’t seem awkward to hold… and yet…

“This isn't… Morn--…?” Ruby started before confusion washed over her. “What was I about to say…? Why was I…?”

Why was she about to call this weapon something different? What memory was missing from her heart? The scythe felt _right_ in her hands, but in her heart she still knew it wasn’t what it was supposed to be. Something was missing.

“That's not what your weapon is supposed to look like, is it, Spitfire?” While it was posed as a question, it was more of a statement of fact. Xigbar wasn’t even looking at the scythe, he was watching Ruby, a barely concealed look of anticipation in his eyes.

“… no…” Ruby murmured, staring at the swirling cloud formed metal. “No it's not. Misty Rose… this is Misty Rose. Not…”

_Not what?_ The question whispered in her head, not taunting or mocking, but prompting. She couldn’t remember however.

“What's ya weapon meant to look like?”

The question threw Ruby in for a loop. What was Misty Rose supposed to look like? Why did she think it was meant to be something else in the first place? _Why was this thought the most natural thing in the world?_ Instead of pondering these questions however, Ruby found herself trying to remember a weapon she somehow was certain existed.

“… I can't remember,” she finally stated, not quite missing how Xigbar’s face fell into disappointment before he seemed to pause and realise something, smirk coming back to his face. He opened his mouth to say something else when another voice interrupted their conversation.

“… What are you saying?” It was the girl, the one Xigbar had called Poppet. Her question was even more confusing than anything Xigbar had said.

“What?” Ruby asked, turning to face the girl who was looking at her and Xigbar from under her hood. What she said next made Ruby’s heart stop for a moment.

“…… I can’t understand what you are saying.”

The young reaper was suddenly reminded of yesterday, when the silver haired boy, who wasn’t the younger Xehanort, said that Luxord, Larxene and she were speaking in a different language. Had… had she and Xigbar been doing the same thing? How did someone speak in a different language without realising it? Xigbar ruffled her head and then leaned down next to her ear to whisper something quietly which made Ruby’s eyes widen. He then pushed her away without another word before he turned to Xion. Ruby lingered a few moments before she went off to find her dad, picking up Chirithy and hugging the plush spirit close.

_“You see, Spitfire, you have all the answers inside you somewhere, you just gotta find them. Now run along and don’t let your dad see Chirithy, okay?”_

So Ruby walked through the Graveyard, talking to Chirithy as she went. She didn’t know why Xigbar told her to keep Chirithy hidden, but when she found and approached Marluxia, who was talking to Larxene, the plush spirit disappeared in the same puff of sparkles and smoke that he had appeared in. Weird, but she trusted Xigbar, so she showed off Misty Rose, and spoke on and on about her conversations with both the Freeshooter and the younger version of Xehanort. She did not miss the flash of panic which crossed her father’s face, and that face stayed with her to that night when she fell asleep, silently wishing for memories of her mother instead of scrambled nonsense everything outside of Remnant seemed to illicit.

◇◆◇◆◇

_In the darkness of a dream, a girl opened her eyes to find herself standing on a window of glass. The beautiful window had her picture there, sleeping while holding a Keyblade she didn’t recognise. By her head was a circle, with three other circles with her closest friends… Team RWBY. The girl stared at the window for a moment before she took a step forward, ready to try and find her way out. Her movement caused three short pedestals, similar to the stone pedestals in the forest back during initiation, to rise from the ground. There were no chess pieces this time. Above one floated a sword which looked like Jaune’s Crocea Mors. Another had Pyrrha’s shield, Akoúo̱. Finally the last, Wiess’ rapier, Myrtenaster with several vials of dust floating around it._

_The girl felt that these weapons meant something more than she would first assume._

_“You have reached a resolve within your heart and rediscovered your path forward,” a voice said, echoing around from somewhere, making the girl look around. “You haven’t chosen the easy path, but you have chosen to not look away. To help you along this path, choose a gift that will serve you most.”_

_Help her the most? The girl looked around her friend’s weapons before she walked over to Myrtenaster. A warmth flooded through her, and understanding washed over her mind. The power of the mystic. Magic. Ever since Lauriam had come to Remnant, magic wasn’t so hard to believe anymore. The voice spoke again._

_“As you know well, taking something, you must give up something else in return. Of what is left, what don’t you need?”_

_The girl was left to look between Akoúo̱ and Crocea Mors. She knew which she would give up, even if she wanted to cling to the weapon and not let go. As her heart made the choice, Pyrrha’s shield disappeared._

_“The protection of a friend long gone, but you still fight for her. While her power is not yours, you know that she isn’t truly gone until there is no-one left to remember her. You have made your choices, but there is still conflict in your heart. Close your eyes and step forward.”_

_The girl hesitated a moment before she did so, letting her eyes fall shut into darkness and taking that step. Her eyes flew open in shock however when her foot landed on soft grass instead of the window she had been at. She was now in her home… and there was her mum! The girl ran up to her mother and opened her mouth to speak, but the woman spoke before she could._

_“What are you proud of in your life?”_

_That… was an odd question, but, it was her mother and this was a dream, so she could be honest here, right?_

_“Meeting team RWBY,” she replied. Of course that was what she was most proud of. Maybe she was uncertain when she first met the team, but she was so glad to have met them now. She wouldn’t trade her team for the world. Her mother smiled and then faded away. The girl cried out in shock before she noticed her dad standing near a tree. She walked up to him, her eyes wide. Once again, before she could speak, her father spoke first._

_“What do you most regret?”_

_“Running away,” was her response. She ran away from a lot of things recently, hadn’t she? But not anymore. Her resolve shone in her eyes and her father nodded approvingly. Nothing to hold her back anymore. No more regrets, they’d hold her back. A smile had worked its way onto the girl’s face as her father faded from her dream as well. It was wiped away when she turned around, and in the door to her house, stood Pyrrha. Tears pricked in her eyes as she ran into the arms of her friend._

_“Would you change the past if you could?”_

_A sob tore its way out of her throat. How could Pyrrha ask that?! Of course she_! That was a lie wasn’t it._

_“… No,” the girl whispered. As painful as that truth was, to change the past would remove everything she had done since then, it would erase the force of Pyrrha’s choice, it would deny everything that Pyrrha had died for. The red haired woman would never forgive her for that. Pyrrha pulled back and looked at the girl. She took a step back and took Milò and Akoúo̱ from her back, handing them to the girl. A few moments of silence and the girl took them, gasping as light engulfed them, and merged the xiphos and shield together to create… a Keyblade, which was purple and smoky black along the elegantly designed blade, the teeth of the key looked like three dark wisps of flame, or perhaps flower petals, and tied to the hilt was a red ribbon that seemed to float ethereally around the blade, connecting around the hilt as the guard. Its name floated to the girl’s mind…_

_“Dancing Ebony,” she murmured. She looked up at Pyrrha who smiled and waved as she too faded away._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have finished with all my assignments for the year which means I can finally focus on this again!! Yay!!
> 
> Xigbar: We missed you Arya!  
Marluxia: Did we? She's causing chaos afterall.  
Xigbar: She is Smol Lady Chaos, what did you expect?  
Marluxia: Some order.  
Xigbar: As if!!
> 
> Right, thank-you boys, moving on. Man what a bunch of loaded chapters I have been giving ahahaha, and now here we are! Misty Rose is here! Ruby's new scythe! Isn't it pretty? I'll try draw it at some point XD but that might take a while, I have a few other drawings to finish... like designing Dancing Ebony! Wow DttH in here too!
> 
> And here's Chirithy!!!! _Lauriam's_ Chirithy. OwO Isn't he adorable?!?!?! Give Chiri all the love!!!
> 
> Next chapter - Ruby goes on an adventure with the least expected person, stuff goes wrong, but hey! Ruby will have the opportunity to read Summer's journal again! She hasn't really touched it for reasons to be explained.


	30. Melodious Nocturne

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unknowingly, Ruby was forming connections in her heart, though one connection seemed to have been formed long before today... when could it have been formed though?

Marluxia did not like Ruby’s choice of companions yesterday, as such today he had decided that he would leave her in the care of someone he knew wouldn’t let anything bad happen to Ruby, someone he trusted would protect Ruby. The strange thing was, he didn’t know why he knew this someone would protect Ruby, he just knew. And so without any more reason than a feeling of absolute certainly, Marluxia was leading Ruby to Demyx.

Larxene didn’t like this idea, and she didn’t have to. Xehanort wanted her back on Arendelle, just as Marluxia was headed back to Corona again. Now that Ruby could summon a new scythe, curtesy of being taught by Xigbar, Marluxia was content to leave her with Demyx. _<strike>It was inevitable that they would both get into trouble, but at least they weren’t defenceless.</strike>_ How much trouble could the Melodious Nocturne get Ruby into anyway? The boy was getting lazier every day. Point and case – the two reapers found Demyx lazily strumming his sitar while sitting at the base of one of the tall stone pillars. That all changed when the teenaged Nobody looked up. His mouth opened to say something, yet Demyx froze when he saw Ruby.

The change in Demyx was instantaneous. He stood up, his sitar disappearing and he quickly pulled Ruby into a hug. His eyes were wide with shock. Marluxia found himself tilting his head in what might have been confusion.

“I told you your eyes were silver…” the blonde Nobody murmured, his voice almost trance-like, as if he had just found something he had long since lost. But… Demyx hadn’t met Ruby before this point. Marluxia shifted his gaze to Ruby who slowly returned the Nocturne’s embrace. The older reaper wondered how his daughter would respond. He didn’t expect what came from her mouth.

“Your eyes are meant to be electrified blue.”

_How did Ruby know that?_ Marluxia asked quietly in his mind. Ruby’s voice was in that same tranced voice that Demyx’s was, though it wavered as if the girl was fighting off tears. Then, just as suddenly as this strange interaction had overcome the pair, confusion washed over them. Marluxia watched as Demyx stumbled back, apologising as he clutched his head slightly. Ruby was also apologising, but neither teen seemed to know what to really say, so Marluxia saved them, acting as if they hadn’t just been treating each other like long lost friends.

“Demyx, I’ve come to ask you a favour,” Marluxia hummed in that expressionless tone he had long since perfected. “Please watch Ruby today. Don’t get into trouble.”

The blonde teen tried to grin, but it came out as a pained grimace as he rubbed his temple. 

“You got it, Marly,” he said, waving his free hand. The boy then straightened and fixed his grin. “You can count on me! I’ll even have her back by midnight! Swear on my sitar.”

_ <strike>“She’ll be back here by midnight, geeze, I have yet to lie, ain’t about to start now. Swear on my sitar!”</strike> _

Marluxia shook his head as Ruby laughed and then started to drag Demyx away, already asking the boy questions. As the older reaper watched them go he was struck by a sense of déjà vu. However despite the fact that they seemed to be getting along well, Ruby and Demyx were clearly avoiding the topic of the apparent familiarity they had greeted each other with. Marluxia sighed.

Footsteps crunched the desert floor behind him and Marluxia looked over his shoulder to see Xemnas standing there. What shocked the pink haired Nobody was the expression on the former Superior’s face; it was contemplative. The man was watching Ruby as Demyx took over leading and opened a Dark Corridor which they both disappeared into laughing. Marluxia had this feeling that Ruby had said something to him.

“I was not aware that Demyx or your daughter knew another language,” Xemnas said, not at all what Marluxia was expecting him to say. Another language? What other language? The reaper could understand the pair perfectly fine… _Xemnas had not?_ That was… interesting. Ruby mentioned the puppet saying something similar yesterday as well. Yet that was not what Marluxia wanted to focus on right now. No, he was more interested in what Xemnas _wasn’t_ saying.

“What, you aren’t going to take her away?” he challenged, raising an eyebrow. “I’m letting her run off without my own supervision after all.”

And it was completely true as well; the Reaper Nobody, which had been accompanying Ruby, was no longer following her and he had let Ruby and Demyx leave on their own. Xemnas looked briefly at him before his golden eyes returned to looking at the point where the pair of teens had disappeared.

“… would there be purpose behind that?” he asked in response. If Marluxia hadn’t known any better, he would have said that Xemnas sounded tired. “You know as well as I the intention behind bringing the Organisation here.”

Perhaps he was tired. Perhaps they were all tired. Tired of the old man and his tired old war. _<strike>Let it stay in the past where it belongs.</strike>_ That didn’t stop the brief flash of anger that Marluxia felt as he glared at the silver haired Nobody.

“So you just stopped tending my torture forthwith?” the reaper scoffed, disbelieving. Why had Ruby been taken then? What was the point? No, that was the conversation that his daughter had already had wasn’t it. That answer had already been given. Xemnas was silent for a long moment before he turned to face Marluxia, his expression far more dead than it had ever been.

“I cannot bring myself to find care anymore,” the man admitted quietly, causing Marluxia’s breath to catch in his throat. “I would not deny you if you wanted to run your scythe through my back, if that is what you desire.”

Oh how Marluxia itched to summon Graceful Dahlia and do just that, but he did not. Because Marluxia found that he did not care either. There was something else that was far more important than giving into his desires. Xemnas would fall by the Guardians of Light or not at all. Besides…

“I am already aware that you lied to Ruby,” Marluxia snorted. “It won’t be me, but you who disappoints her.”

“That is of your volition,” the Superior replied, not saying anything more as Marluxia did not take up the offer to kill him. Silence dragged on a moment longer before Xemnas turned on his heel. When he was about to leave though, Marluxia called out one last question.

“If you don’t care,” the reaper hummed, almost curious, “why do you still masquerade as the antagonist?”

For a second it seemed like Xemnas would not answer. The silver haired Nobody looked over his shoulder however.

“Because it is expected of me,” was the response, deadpan, flat… _resigned_, “and I will die. That is how this war will conclude.”

With that, darkness pulled Xemnas into the Corridors, leaving Marluxia standing alone. _That is how this war will conclude._ It was a chilling reminder of a cold fact. The Seekers weren’t here to win; they were here to die, to create the χ-blade. _As Master Xehanort had planned._

\---

Meanwhile however, Demyx had brought Ruby to Twilight Town, and the pair of teens were sitting on a roof which overlooked the tramway. The young reaper had her mother’s journal sitting on her lap and Demyx was reading over her shoulder. The pair were looking at an entry which Marluxia had written, and seemingly argued with Summer over as there were words where the immaculate handwriting was broken by the pen slipping or wavering, and there was reference to Summer punching him. It made sense since the entry itself was talking about some foolish situation that Summer had lead Marluxia into.

“Man, this is what Marluxia was doing for the mission Saïx wouldn’t tell anyone about?!” Demyx asked his face one of disbelief. “Why couldn’t I get this kinda mission?!”

Ruby laughed and poked his shoulder.

“It’s because you wouldn’t have blended in,” she snickered jokingly. “Not crazy enough and black coats stand out like yesterday’s trash!”

“Well then how did your dad blend in?” The Nobody challenged with a smirk.

“The coat looks natural on him, though he could stand to wear some his white shirt more,” Ruby hummed. “You on the other hand would need to wear more colours.”

The pair stared at each other with matching smirks before they started laughing together. A few heads from below may have turned to look up and see the pair on the roof, but neither teen cared as they continued to laugh. 

“Must suck though, being Marluxia’s kid,” Demyx grinned as Ruby shot him a glare. It was a very harsh glare. “N-not that it’s a bad thing! No! Not at all! I-I-I think it’s great! Marluxia is great! He never did anything bad to me!” Ruby glared a bit harder. “Right, up shutting now!”

The girl’s expression wavered a bit before she started laughing again.

“I’m sorry,” she giggled, shifting her coat, not noticing the way Demyx’s eyes widened when he noticed something. “That was too hilarious. I_ … Demyx?”

She noticed that the blonde Nobody had gone silent and was staring at her hip. Ruby looked down and saw her cloak had been shifted in her movements, revealing the fox mask there on her belt. Before Ruby could react though, Demyx reached over and took it from her belt. He inspected it for a few moments before he held it up to Ruby’s face carefully. His lips moved silently, saying something that neither of them could hear. Ruby could see him tracing the blue designs with his gloves, over the contours of the mask. Swallowing slightly, Ruby reached her hand up to take the mask, only to shiver when the Nobody carefully placed it over her face. The mask was cold, but Ruby didn’t take it off, she merely stared at Demyx through the golden eyes of the mask.

Silence wreathed around them for a few moments, and then Demyx stood up and offered his hand to Ruby.

“Let’s go on an adventure,” he said quietly, a tone of voice which was painfully familiar to Ruby. “I’ll take you to a world you’ve never seen before.”

“Okay,” she agreed without hesitation. Ruby placed her hand in Demyx’s and he pulled her up, walking backwards into another Corridor of Darkness. There was a feeling of anticipation as Ruby followed after.

\---

The unlikely pair tumbled out of the Dark Corridor into a world that was a desert. And that was the least weird thing about it. No, the strangest thing was that Ruby’s form had changed, but Demyx’s had not. Ruby was sitting on the ground and she was a small cheetah cub, not a baby, but not quite an adult yet either. The young reaper looked down to see her paws and then stumbled back. 

“Wait, what’s happened to me?” she yelped; desperately inspecting herself. Tail, paws, spotted fur, she was a cheetah and it was strange. Demyx watched her with a smirk.

“Aww you’re cuter now!” he cooed, laughing when Ruby pounced on him, knocking to the ground. Demyx seemed utterly fascinated by her though because he quickly scooped her up into his arms and inspected her fur. “Strange, your face and fur seems to have markings which match your fox mask. Not that visible, but there if you really look.”

“Well how come _you_ haven’t changed?” Ruby asked in annoyance as the blonde Nobody scratched behind her new cat ears.

“The coat,” Demyx replied simply. “I didn’t expect you to become a cheetah cub though. This is like… high level illusion magic! Why didn’t you tell me you could do this?! I could have ditched my coat but now I’ll be expected to return if called!!”

Ruby was confused; she didn’t know any illusion magic. How was she doing illusion magic? _There was magic for illusions like there were semblances? Why wasn’t Ruby as panicked about this as she should be?_ And that was true. Ruby was not panicked about this knowledge, just confused.

“You don’t… know?” Demyx asked as his golden eyes went wide. “You’re doing this on instinct alone?”

_Yes, that was it,_ Ruby somehow knew she was doing this, she knew it was her… magic. But how did she know? That was the question. The young reaper recalled her sparring lesson with Xigbar yesterday. One of the things he had explained while trying to get her to summon Misty Rose was how the magic worked. It was a Nobody thing, and it also came with an affinity towards some type of magic. Ruby recalled the entry that her mother had written in her journal about illusionists and how Marluxia had mentioned a Zexion to Summer… like this Zexion, was Ruby’s affinity illusions?

_That would explain the rose petals in her semblance which never seemed quite real…_

Demyx stood up and placed Ruby on the ground, dusting off his coat. He looked around and hummed, his mind already moving on from the topic of illusions and Ruby’s surprise transformation.

“Well, in any case,” he hummed, spreading his hands dramatically, “welcome to the Pridelands! Probably the safest world I know!”

From the look on the teen’s face, Ruby somehow knew; _Demyx was lying and he was offering her the chance to cause chaos that wasn’t related to the Keyblade War brewing or anything else._ A grin spread across her face, and while it was somewhat strange to look so far up, she used her new tail to gesture forward.

“Care to show me just how safe?” she challenged. Demyx started to laugh as he led her further into the world. Absolutely everything could go wrong and neither teen cared.

\---

There was nothing safe about this world! Ruby could say this with certainty as she pushed the legs of her cheetah form as hard as they would take her. Any cheetah faunus would be able to tell you that running fast for them only happened in short bursts, and Ruby could feel the burn, the way her changed body was telling her that she had travelled to far. However the barking of hyenas behind her made her force her legs beyond their limit. She had gotten separated from Demyx as well when he claimed to have a plan. _Where is he?_

“Ruby! Over here!!” 

Demyx’s voice made Ruby look up to see the blonde teen standing on a tall pile of rocks. Understanding what the Nocturne wanted her to do, Ruby changed her course and headed towards the rock formation. Trusting that he wouldn’t let her get hurt, Ruby slipped in between the cracks and collapsed to the floor, muscles burning. She could see the hyena’s running up, and she could see that they had noticed Demyx, yet as they approached she could feel a rush of power.

“Dance, water, dance!”

Bursts of water washed down onto the hyenas, splashing Ruby slightly too. The girl disguised as a cheetah however was too exhausted to care. She laid her head down on her paws, but didn’t get to rest long as gloved hands carefully extracted her from the rocks. One Cura later and Ruby was more aware of the fact that Demyx was carrying her and running, huge grin on his face. A few more steps and he warped away into a tall tree. Ruby looked at him with twitching ears.

“Didn’t you just break World Order?” she asked innocently, silver eyes sparkling. The Nobody poked out his tongue indignantly. That answered that question.

“It was World Order or you,” Demyx snorted. “And I’ve never really cared about the whole World Order thing.”

Ruby would have raised her eyebrow if she had been able to. The Melodious Nocturne raised his hands with an innocent smile. The pair stared at each other for a moment before they snorted.

“Had enough excitement?” the blonde Nobody asked.

“That depends on if you have more or not,” the black-red haired reaper replied.

“What do you think about pirates?” Demyx hummed, opening a Corridor of Darkness with a gesture of his hand. Ruby grinned and took a step towards the Corridor, tail flicking with amusement.

“They’re pretty cool,” she replied, stepping though. She heard Demyx laughing as he followed her. As she left the world, she could feel the magic keeping her form bound to that of a cheetah begin to fade and once the Dark Corridor had faded, she was once again standing there in her black and red corseted dress, fox mask still on her face. What a curious magic to discover. She would have to experiment later.

\---

Port Royal was best described as a port town which seemed to have equal part pirate to colonial. And somehow Ruby’s dress, mask and cloak, along with Demyx’s black coat, didn’t seem to stand out at all. At least, not too much, and Demyx did seem to be pulling Ruby along just out of sight of others. Ruby had no doubt that had they been walking on the streets, they would have been noticed.

“Don’t care about World Order, do you?” Ruby hummed with a small snort. Demyx didn’t look back however as he quickly pulled the reaper behind a pillar, pressing a finger to her lips. Ruby wanted to ask what was wrong, but there was a cultured voice which spoke and it seemed to be challenging the pirates.

“We don’t want to be caught in this world,” Demyx whispered, pulling his hand away from Ruby’s mouth and up to the mask. He took the intricate metal again, a frown forming on his face. “This mask would be considered pricey, you could be snatched. Marluxia would kill me if I let anything to happen to you.”

Ruby tilted her head to the side. She watched Demyx carefully, silver eyes trained on his face. He seemed to be in deep concentration. She decided to wait for him to speak. It took a few moments before his voice reached her ears again, shaky and uncertain.

“Ruby,” he murmured. “Do you think… we knew each other once?”

The young reaper paused. She thought back to earlier when they had met. _<strike>Saw each other again.</strike>_ They had… greeted each other as if they had known each other, but Ruby was almost certain she had never met Demyx before today. Though even that certainty was wavering. Demyx was familiar in a way that made her heart ache.

“I… maybe?” Ruby sighed, her eyes falling to the floor. She didn’t know anymore. “But… I’ve never left Remnant before, so how could we have known each other?”

That was one fact that Ruby felt she could say without a doubt.

_ <strike>“Come with me Rosette and I will give you the power to save your family.”</strike> _

She couldn’t have left Remnant before; she didn’t even know what other worlds were until she had found her mother’s journal. Demyx raised his head and looked at Ruby. Gold and silver eyes met.

“Maybe… maybe you have,” the Nobody hummed, “but you have forgotten.”

Once again he raised the fox mask up to Ruby’s face, staring at her.

“Maybe… maybe someone made you forget.”

“But, there’s no hole in my memories…?” Ruby asked uncertainly.

“Are you sure?” The question was simple, but it made Ruby freeze. Why was she considering this? She could recall her life from childhood to now; missing memories were from memory decay, and certainly not young enough to have met someone like Demyx. If she doubted her memories… 

“… I don’t know anymore,” she admitted, finally voicing the thought which had been afflicting her ever since she had met Xigbar, if she was honest. “How do you think we knew each other…?”

The pair stood there together, Demyx holding up the mask, yet not placing it on Ruby’s face again, as if he was trying to use it to jog his memories. Perhaps he was. The silence stretched out between them yet neither of them moved. _Who are you?_ Ruby’s mind asked. _<strike>Why don’t we remember?</strike>_

“We were… really close,” was the eventual reply, one that the young reaper could sense came from deep reflection. “I think.”

“Think?” Ruby echoed softly. The Melodious Nocturne didn’t respond straight away. “Demyx?”

“… I think it’s been hurting me to be away from you,” Demyx murmured. Ruby didn’t dare interrupt him, her heart crying out to connect _<strike>reconnect</strike>_ with the Nobody. “Just thinking about the chance that we have forgotten each other… I feel guilt and despair.” 

Ruby swallowed tightly. “… Nobodies don’t have hearts,” she tried, using the line that she had heard and read so many times. Demyx pulled down the mask, placing it in Ruby’s hands.

“Ruby, we both know that is a lie,” he said as Ruby placed the mask back on her belt.

“… I know.”

Unfortunately for them, that was where their conversation ended. A group of pirates walked into their hiding place, sleazy grins on their faces, swords in hand.

“Well lookit ‘ere, lads,” the one in the front said, even as Ruby took a step back to summon Misty Rose, holding the scythe behind her, praying that it didn’t disappear. “A secret dealin’ ‘appenin’ in the shadows? Or per’aps yer a pair o’ lovers lookin’ ter run away together?”

“Hardly anything of the sort, good sirs,” came the very familiar voice of Luxord, causing both Demyx and Ruby to spin around in surprise at the man himself walked up behind them, easy going smile on his face, but a dangerous glint in his eyes. He was even holding a sword. His whole demeanour made the pirates back away.

“My friends here were merely waiting for me,” Luxord continued. “Truly nothing for you to worry about.”

The pirates quickly retreated, much to the Gambler’s very visible amusement. Ruby and Demyx were staring at him now because _how did he know where they were and how did he know they were about to get in trouble?!_ These questions had no answers because when the older man turned to face the pair who were staring at him, he smiled at them, _fondly_, before tossing the sword to the side.

“Marluxia really should have known better,” he said, raising his hands in a wry yet amused shrug, “but I suppose you did keep your promise though. Are the pair of you incapable of staying out of trouble?”

Ruby’s “what” was closely echoed by Demyx’s “huh?” What was Luxord talking about? The older Nobody walked towards the pair and then ruffled their heads. The two teens couldn’t even formulate words to respond with.

“Well hurry along, you hellions,” Luxord hummed cheerfully. “Vexen is waiting for you in Radiant Garden.”

Without even giving the two teens a chance to regain their bearings, Luxord disappeared into a Corridor of Darkness. Ruby and Demyx stared at the spot where the blonde man had just disappeared. The silence between them was caused by collective confusion, and they took a few moments to try and process what had just happened. Ruby straightened slowly and looked at Demyx.

“… Why was he speaking to us like he knows us well?” she asked, her eyes wide. Demyx countered with his own question.

“… Why was he speaking like he’s scolded us before…?” 

_ <strike>“You really shouldn’t have done that, now you’re both hurt and need to explain this to_”</strike> _

There was a mystery here, one that Ruby was almost terrified to unravel. Yet the strong sense of familiarity wanted to dive her forward to find out. The two teens exchanged a glance. All they could really do now was go to Radiant Garden. Confusion would serve them ill in this world, potentially more dangerous than the Pridelands. Without a word, Demyx opened another Dark Corridor, and without a word, the two teens entered.

\---

_Today, Summer and I were keeping an eye on a suspected White Fang drop point. Well watching is the polite way of saying it; really Summer was trying to distract me—as she is now by punching my shoulder. Despite the distraction she attempted with the dandelions, which did NOT work by the way, we were able to catch the “White Fang”. Summer would like it put on record that I am apparently “afraid” of dandelions. Sweetheart, please._

_The White Fang members we found were not actually members of the group, but some teens pretending to be part of the group. Summer made her displeasure known and sent the kids home with one of her famous glares. One of which she is gracing upon me in this moment. Love you too, darling._

__

_\- Summer Rose’s Journal, Personal Entries_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This may be my last update before Christmas, though I do hope to upload chapter 31 on Christmas Day(AUS)/Christmas Eve. We will see if I am able to. If not however, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanakkah, Seasons Greetings, Happy Holidays and all other ways of wishing people well in this end of year season! It's been a great year of uploads for this fanfic, I'm proud of where I have gotten to, and we have five more chapters to go before the sequel!
> 
> Of course I won't start posting the sequel immediately, I would like to work up a backlog once again before I return to Uni next year! So come March I hope to start posting Rose Gold Dandelions. But first! I must finish this fanfic.
> 
> Now... what was this between Ruby and Demyx? Major deja vu? Well I'm sure it's not important.
> 
> Xigbar: ......  
Marluxia: ...........
> 
> Yes, boys?
> 
> Marluxia: ... nothing, you just keep doing what you're doing, I guess.  
Xigbar: ... Sometimes I hate you Arya. Make up your mind about that other fic too.
> 
> Oh sweethearts. Anyway, next chapter will have Vexen and one last really important conversation for Ruby to have. I have been looking forward to chapter 31 for months now. Looking forward to it since way back when it was still considered chapter 29! It's coming along well. Well, until then!


	31. Calm Before the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There comes a time when one must face the cold truth... and Ruby was not ready for that.

“Luxord knows us.”

Ruby looked at Demyx as he suddenly stood up with a gasp, making that proclamation. Her eyes were wide as he spun on his heel to face her, his own expression wild with realisation. Demyx held out his hands staring between them before he looked at the young reaper.

“Luxord has answers to how we know each other too!” he continued. “I’m certain of it now! We knew each other once. Now I’m annoyed that I’ve apparently forgotten!”

They were seated against the wall, out of sight from the guards of Radiant Garden’s castle, whom Demyx had identified as Xaldin and Lexeaus, though Ruby was almost sure that the men had different names, since the blonde beside her was clearly using old knowledge from the Organisation. Her mother’s journal had talked about Xaldin and Lexeaus, as well as Vexen and Demyx, knowledge shared by Marluxia to Summer. It was an honest miracle that neither guard had noticed Demyx at this point with how loud he had made his exclamation. Ruby didn’t stop the teen though.

“He knows your dad too, like from whenever he knew us,” the teen said seriously. “Because he said that ‘Marluxia should have known better’, like he’s seen Marly suffer whatever it is we apparently are known for doing!”

“… You almost sound like this all happened before the Organisation formed,” Ruby murmured, her heart quailing at the thought. “But… that can’t be true, because… my dad was a Nobody when he met my mum…”

“… I know,” Demyx breathed. He seemed to go to say something else, but they were interrupted by a Dark Corridor opening behind them and Vexen stepping out. Demyx spun on his heel as Ruby stood up. The long haired, blonde man took one look at the pair of teens and shook his head.

“It appears that Xigbar was correct in your whereabouts, Demyx,” he said. “I have come to ask you for a favour.”

Vexen paused here, perhaps for dramatic effect or perhaps to wait for Demyx to respond, but when the teen said nothing and only looked at the man with suspicion, he rolled his golden eyes and continued.

“I would ask you to make a delivery to Ienzo in the castle here. A replica to be precise. As well as bringing Master Ansem the Wise and his two young companions there at the same time.”

Still Demyx stared at Vexen with suspicion, his eyes narrowing. Ruby gasped slightly when the blonde teen stepped in front of her protectively, arm held out. Her silver eyes flickered between the two Nobodies. Demyx didn’t seem to trust Vexen at all. Why was that?

“Why me?” he finally asked the man. Gone were the emotions from before. Ruby shivered as she looked on. “Why would you pick _me_?”

Vexen raised an eyebrow and took a step forward, only to stop when Demyx shifted too. Ruby found herself pressed against the Melodious Nocturne’s back, and she could almost hear the snarl.

“I cannot let the chosen catch wind of this, do you understand, boy?” Vexen asked. When Demyx once again did not answer he took a few steps backwards with an irritated sigh. “You need not hide her from me. I will not do anything to her.”

“Like I’d believe that,” Demyx scoffed. “You’re one of Xemnas’ cronies. An OG. One of the first as you always took pleasure in reminding us. You expect me to believe that you _don’t_ want to study a half-Nobody? Find out what that means? Xemnas would.”

“Actually, he wouldn’t,” Vexen said quietly. “We are at the end now. There is no use for hostages anymore. No Demyx, I am asking you to do something to deliver Xemnas’ downfall. So that we may ensure that we all fall, and Xehanort is defeated.”

“What?” Demyx asked, his eyes widening. Ruby swallowed when her mind processed what Vexen had said… or rather, what he _hadn’t_ said. She didn’t get the opportunity to ask however because Demyx’s eyes narrowed once again, his hand curling so that he could poke Vexen’s chest with a finger.

“It’s because I was benched, wasn’t it?!” he snarled indignantly. Wrong thing to say, Vexen himself puffed up with indignation.

“I was benched as well until Vanitas’ demise,” he growled, his voice rising louder. “Be glad you were not the one chosen to replace him!!”

Even as Demyx, shot forward to cover the long haired man’s mouth, Ruby stepped forward, her silver eyes worried.

“… what do you mean, ‘replace’?” she asked. “… by ‘we fall’?”

Silence fell as Ruby asked her questions. Demyx seemed to realise what Vexen wasn’t saying either. Two sets of golden eyes turned to face the teen girl, who had her hands clasped together as she stared at Vexen, silver eyes imploring the man for an answer.

“… child, you already know the answer to that question,” Vexen finally replied. “Hence why Master Ansem, Subj- I mean, young Skuld, and your friend Jaune must make it safely to Ienzo. No one in the Organisation belongs here. I should be Even, the young Xehanort belongs to another time entirely, the girl belongs with her friends.”

Ruby swallowed and then looked at Demyx. He sighed and quickly brought her into a hug. Then he looked back at Vexen, his face curious.

“Alright then, what’s in it for me?” he asked.

Vexen seemed to look at Demyx, sizing him up almost, his gaze flickering for a moment to Ruby before looking back to the Melodious Nocturne.

“Freedom.”

With a single word, Demyx flinched back as if he had been scalded. Ruby thought that was a strange reaction. 

“Hey now man, Xigbar promised me a thing which was important to me,” he said. “I don’t want that freedom yet.”

“Are you sure you haven’t already been given what you want?” Vexen asked, throwing the boy in for a loop. “And if that has yet to convince you, then hear this.”

The blonde man beckoned Demyx closer. The two teens in front of him exchanged a glance, before Ruby nodded to Demyx. The blonde teen stepped up beside Vexen who leaned down to whisper into his hear. Ruby watched as Demyx’s face went from wary curiosity to complete shock. The teen stumbled back.

“No way, you’re joking!” he gasped. Vexen shook his head.

“It was _his_ idea afterall,” he replied. “His hands are tied however as he is one of the chosen. This is his step down the path to atonement. My actions are on his behalf, and now I ask for you to act on my behalf since I have now been called to war. No one would suspect you, you’re lazy, and, more importantly, we are far from friends. I will do my part to ensure you will not be noticed. No one would ever suspect you.”

“So I wouldn’t be fighting?” Demyx clarified. Something told Ruby that he was only half asking about the Keyblade War. 

“Correct,” Vexen replied, his voice a slow drawl. “And more importantly; no benchwarming.”

Demyx looked back at Ruby who nodded, she wanted him to help Jaune and Skuld, and Ansem the Wise as well. A grin split across the teen’s face and he looked back at Vexen.

“Sign me up!” he stated, pumping his fists. He spun around and gave Ruby a wind. “Aww yeah, Demyx time!”

Ruby giggled at the boy, before looking up at Vexen. Her silver eyes demanded answers to a silently asked question, a question which Vexen thankfully knew enough about to know how to answer.

“Girl, you need not worry about your friends,” he said. “And rest assured; Jaune will have access to a great library of knowledge.”

“I know,” Ruby replied. “That is why I sent him and Skuld with you and Ansem the Wise. We… we need to find a way home.”

Vexen nodded before gesturing to the side for Demyx to follow him, Dark Corridor opening. The Melodious Nocturne grinned at Ruby before he stepped through. Before Ruby could follow him however, another Corridor opened behind Vexen and the young reaper, Larxene stepping out looking irritated. Her irritation seemed to grow further when she saw Vexen.

“What are you doing here, Frosty?” she snipped, rolling her eyes. Vexen raised his chin, expression souring.

“I was simply about to return the girl here to Marluxia,” he said, sneer on his tone. “When I heard that she had been placed in the care of Demyx, I knew it wouldn’t be long before trouble arose. And imagine my surprise when I come to Radiant Garden to try and find some of my older research only to find that the girl had been dumped here without an escort.” 

The sudden desire to defend Demyx rose up, and Ruby had to fight to keep the words down and her expression suitably neutral. This was not the time to out Vexen’s lie. _Even if she was sure that Xemnas likely already knew._ If Vexen wanted to lie to Larxene, then so be it. Ruby was not going to get caught up in the politics of the Organisation. Larxene’s eyes narrowed before she scoffed, muttering something under her breath which Ruby wasn’t able to catch.

“Yeah well,” she finally said in a voice loud enough to hear. “Marluxia should have expected it. Xemnas is calling us back. If Demyx has run off good for him, he won’t get far. Not like it matters anyway. He isn’t one of the chosen thirteen. You are though, so get your arse over to the Graveyard.”

For just a few moments Vexen stared at Larxene appraisingly.

“You poor child,” he murmured quietly. “You have deluded yourself into believing we will win.”

Then he raised his voice, making Ruby almost certain that Larxene had not heard those words. A cold chill gripped Ruby’s heart. There it was again, a statement about the War, seemingly off-hand, yet buried with cold fact.

“Take her back to Marluxia,” Vexen said shortly. “I needs still get what I came here for. Begone, I have no time for baby-sitting!” 

Without a word, Larxene held out her hand to Ruby. The teen knew exactly what the woman was asking. Sighing, Ruby took the few steps to cross the distance between her and Larxene, taking the offered hand. For the last time that day, Ruby allowed herself to be pulled through a Corridor of Darkness, this time, back to the Keyblade Graveyard.

\---

The sound of Larxene’s Corridor of Darkness closing signified the end of Ruby’s little adventure with Demyx. The young reaper was sad for some unexplainable reason, she had been enjoying her freedom, but even she knew that she would be brought back here to the Keyblade Graveyard. So why was her heart aching? With a sigh Ruby shook the thought away.

“So your Keyblade War is happening soon then?” she asked Larxene quietly. The blonde woman looked to the side at the girl. The Nymph had not missed how Ruby had said _your_ instead of _the_. An odd distinction, Ruby knew, but she wasn’t really a part of the war. It wasn’t her fight. A few seconds of silence followed, threatening to turn into minutes. Larxene did not answer her question. Of course; Ruby already knew the answer. Demyx would already be delivering Ansem the Wise, Skuld and Jaune to the scientists that were helping the Guardians along with a replica. Vexen would show up after he had sent the Melodious Nocturne on his way. There was a sense of urgency in the air.

“Come on, brat,” Larxene said with no bite. “We can go practice some magic or something. I’m sure you don’t want to be bored again.”

That was true enough; Ruby was not that keen to be pulled down by the same boredom this Graveyard seemed to extrude. It was with that in mind that the girl accepted the offer, following behind the woman who had become her aunt the moment they had met. Sadly there was naught much else to do besides spar, train, converse with others or sit and reflect _<strike>or go to war</strike>_. Such was the dull state of the world.

Larxene brought her to a mostly flat strip of desert and summoned to her hands a set of knives. The young reaper went to summon Misty Rose, but Larxene stopped her before the scythe could appear in her hands.

“I want you to attack me using only your magic,” she ordered. “No weapon. It’s good practice.”

“But what about defending myself?” Ruby asked. She jumped to the side when a yellow and turquoise knife flew past her.

“You’ll work it out,” was the laughing reply. Ruby’s eyes narrowed and she raised her hand, feeling for her magic as her father’s Reaper Nobodies had taught her.

“Fira!”

Larxene smirked as the fire spell flew at her and dodged to the side. Thus did their spar begin; Ruby throwing out spells and Larxene dodging and throwing her knives in return. It was a deadly dance, or would have been if Ruby hadn’t realised that her Aunt was holding back. That knowledge led to a grin forming across the teen’s face and she instinctively thrust her hand to the side calling upon magic, and then leaped forward. By some instinct, echoed copies of Ruby danced out in sync to the young reaper’s own movements, summoned up by her magic, and, perhaps as a lingering trace of her semblance, she could shift places with any one of these copies.

_Illusions…_ her mind supplied. Larxene looked impressed and then she smirked.

“Think you can do that with your weapon as well, shrimp?”

The young reaper scowled at the slight at her height and summoned Misty Rose to her hands, gripping the pastel shaft of the scythe as she ran forward, one again casting the illusion to make it look like she was attacking from all directions at once. The blonde woman started laughing, dispelling a few of the illusions with her knives.

“Well done, kiddo,” she grinned. “You remind me of someone I used to know. Can’t remember her name, but you’re just like her.”

That made Ruby oddly pleased. The pair didn’t speak much more as they continued to spar. Larxene occasionally called out challenges for Ruby to try, but other than that, not a word passed between them. None needed to be; they were communicating with their blows, getting to know each other by how they fought. It was how Ruby knew she would be able to connect to her new aunt. 

\---

Once more time passed in this world of boredom, and Ruby was left to her own devices. Despite the sense that the war was looming, that everyone was preparing, there was still missions that the Organisation had to do. And so once again Ruby could only wander this world. She found herself on the rock she had been sitting on when she had been talking to the younger Xehanort, contemplating everything she had learned and seen since having been taken from Remnant. Though she keep trying to keep her mind off the thought, the young Reaper’s mind kept turning to what Vexen had said.

_“You have deluded yourself into believing we will win.”_

It was something that Ruby thought she had always known. She knew that her father wanted to be a Somebody again, she had heard the resignation in Xemnas’ voice, seen it in his face. She somehow had tried to ignore the fact though. There was a burning sensation at the corners of her eyes, but one she couldn’t focus on as a pair of hands came down on her shoulders. A pair of familiar hands. Ruby tensed for a moment.

“You shouldn't be here, little girl.”

With a sigh, Ruby relaxed. Momentarily she wondered why, since, afterall this person was still a member of the Organisation, someone she had already run from before, someone she had already been told about. _Why did she relax?_

“… You're Ansem,” she commented softly. The Heartless member of the Organisation. Marluxia had warned her against speaking to Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness. Yet in this moment, Ruby couldn’t summon up the care anymore. Was this part of why all the Nobodies, all the members of the Organisation were just so… resigned? Ruby could sense the surprise from Ansem.

“How do you know I'm not Xemnas?” he asked. His tone seemed curious, but also somewhat bland. It was different to the expressionless voice of Xemnas though. Ruby thought about her answer for a moment before she spoke.

“… because while your hands are the same, your voice is not,” Ruby hummed, closing her eyes for a moment. “You point out that I'm not meant to be here, whereas it was Xemnas who brought me here. You have your hands on my shoulders but haven't done anything; Xemnas would have snatched my wrist and dragged me away. You are Ansem.”

The young reaper wasn’t convinced about that point about Xemnas anymore. It would have been true, when she was first taken, but not anymore. Xemnas seemed too tired, too worn. The hands on her shoulders went away as Ansem started clapping.

“Hmm, well done,” he applauded. “Though, that raises a new question, why has Xemnas brought you here?”

Somehow Ruby sensed that Ansem meant here to the Graveyard, instead of just off of Remnant. Everyone in the Organisation knew why Xemnas had taken her from Remnant, Ruby knew why too. Why she was in the Graveyard though…

“I don't know,” was the soft response, she truly didn’t know. “To make sure I don't join the Guardians, or maybe just to taunt me. I don't think it matters anymore…”

Ansem moved to stand in front of her, and Ruby recognised the man who she had seen with the other Ansem, the Master Ansem who Vexen so revered. His silver hair was a lot like Xemnas’ but it fell down his back in a silver sheet. Ruby was struck but how much like Xemnas the Heartless looked.

“Why are you sitting here alone?” he challenged as he raised an eyebrow. “Why aren't you with your father?”

It was true. Marluxia had come back from a mission about half an hour before, and he had sat down beside Ruby for a moment, pulling her into a hug silently and just sitting with her before pressing a kiss to her hair and apologising quietly before walking away. Ruby could have followed him, but she stayed on the rock. The burning sensation returned to her eyes.

“……… You're all… just pawns aren't you?” Ruby asked, her throat tightening. She tried to get out the words. “… Xehanort doesn't… care… about any of you… you're all here… to die for his whims… to create the x-blade…” Her vision blurred as tears welled up. “Live or die… Xehanort doesn't care… not about you… or Xemnas, not even his younger self, you're all gonna die for his stupid x-blade!!!”

Her tears spilled over, tracking down her cheeks as she looked up at Ansem, her hand clenched over her heart. Silver eyes were wide, meeting the golden gaze of Ansem, who looked just slightly surprised to see her tears spilling from her now glazed eyes. His expression shifted to something unreadable.

“You would cry,” Ansem started slowly, “not just for your father, but for all of us, even though you don't know us?” There was an unspoken question that floated in the air as well. _You would cry for me?_ The Heartless did not say that though, no his question was something different. “Even though Xemnas took you from your world? Shouldn't you be glad for his death?”

His questions were valid. But Ruby’s heart still cried out, feeling for the injustice, and the futility of the war. _<strike>We shouldn’t be fighting like this!</strike>_ In her mind, the young reaper had already made her peace with Xemnas.

“… I don't… _hate_ Xemnas…” Ruby said. “I did at first, but… I can't now… everything I've seen has told me one thing; you're all walking towards a fight where the only outcome is creating the x-blade… You're all… just gonna die so that light and dark can clash…”

Now it was Ansem’s turn to fall silent. He gave her a strange look. The same look that Ruby could almost see on someone else’s face, someone from old memories, a face she couldn’t quite picture.

“… You are a strange child,” the Heartless commented, crossing his arms. “You are right; nothing you say or do will change the events that will transpire here. We have accepted our fates. However…”

The man fell silent before he snorted quietly and turned away. He looked back over his shoulder a moment to inspect the crying reaper. Ansem’s expression changed once again.

“Mourn and then move on, girl,” he said. “Nothing will come of you staying here in despair. Some of the Organisation might feel grateful that at least there is someone mourning them however.”

He disappeared in a swirl of darkness, leaving Ruby to curl in on herself as she let out a quiet sob. One of her hands fell to her belt where her fox mask was… or should have been. Her fingers found nothing. Ruby slipped off the rock and fell to her knees. She had lost the mask Xigbar had given her and her heart cried out for the lives about to be tossed aside for the sake of the war. Footsteps ran up to her and arms wrapped around her, but Ruby just cried.

\---

On the world of Radiant Garden, Demyx watched Skuld and Jaune scanning the library, having been quietly lead there after delivering the replica for Roxas as Vexen had asked him to do. Ansem the Wise and Zexio_ Ienzo were currently trying to get Sora’s Nobody from the digital world into the replica, leaving Demyx, Skuld and Jaune to their own devices… mostly. Xald_ … Dilan was watching the group in the library as they looked through the shelves.

Demyx raised his hand and looked at the white metal mask, decorated with blue and silver accents. He knew the mask was Ruby’s, but… he needed to look at it closer. The golden eyes of the fox mask stared at him, judging him. Demyx scoffed; nothing could judge him more than he was judging himself. 

“Hey, Demyx!”

The voice of Ruby’s friend from Remnant, Jaune, broke the Melodious Nocturne from his musing. Grinning, Demyx walked over and looked at the book which Jaune had picked up. Vexen had asked Demyx to do one last thing before he had pushed the teen through a Dark Portal with the Sage King and Ruby’s two friends. But he didn’t need to go to that task yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 31 is finally here!! Merry Christmas to everyone, late or not!! And with this we have three more chapters and one epilogue to go, then it's onto the sequel!
> 
> We have here one of the many, many reasons I wanted Ruby seeing the Organisation's side of things. Ruby and Ansem's conversation has existed since the start of August, on a word document, waiting for me to edit it out into the scene that I have presented you today. I have been waiting patiently, for the most part. And now it is up.
> 
> Xigbar: You had me read over this so many times, you cruel woman.  
Marluxia: And what do you think of it?  
Xigbar: Well... she is achieving what she set out to do. Demyx is in place, as is Jaune, the Keyblade War is now ripe and ready.  
Marluxia: It looks like most things are in place to save Remnant. Just missing a few pieces.  
Xigbar: That is correct, so ya have read ahead now.  
Marluxia: That I have.
> 
> With that, I must say goodbye! Next chapter - Keyblade War!


	32. The Fated Land Where Light Expires

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This land was a land of inescapable fate, and Light and Darkness walked towards it knowingly and willingly, unknowing of the outcome.

_“Do you remember the girl we always used to sneak into the castle for, Lea?”_

_“Of course I do, she’s why we became apprentices in the first place, idiot.”_

_“… She was found.”_

_“What?”_

_“You might wish to drop by Radiant Garden before you ‘clobber me’ tomorrow. Her name is Skuld.”_

◇◆◇◆◇

_“Hey, Demyx!” _

_“Oh hey! That’s a weird looking Heartless. Huh, it sounds like it’s just describing a bear but the only thing different is that it can sense negative emotions.”_

_“It’s actually called a Grimm. Marluxia told me that they are similar to Heartless, but they aren’t the same thing. Anyway, you can read this?”_

_“Oh, that’s written in… a way old language! I… can’t recall what it was called. But I can read it, yeah!”_

_“What are you two talking about?”_

_“Jaune found this book written in an old language, gosh, it’s so ancient.”_

_“Let me see… I can read this too, I think Xehanort, the Apprentice who used to live here, called it the ‘First Language’ or something?”_

_“But that’s not what it’s called!”_

_“I know, but I don’t remember what it is actually called either.”_

_“Uhh how do you both know that it’s not called the First Language?”_

_“Skuld.”_

_“Oh, Dilan!”_

_“There is someone here who wishes to talk to you.”_

◇◆◇◆◇

Jaune hummed quietly under his breath as he and Demyx eavesdropped on Skuld's conversation with a red haired man in an Organisation coat. Very specifically the blonde Nobody with Jaune had called it eavesdropping because he apparently didn't want to be discovered by 'Axel'. Demyx was a strange individual to be certain, Ienzo, Dilan and Aeleus had all described him as lazy, yet here he was seemingly collecting information. He often stared at Skuld and he had that fox mask Ruby had. Past being strange, Demyx was an enigma.

“What are you trying to do anyway?” Jaune asked quietly, shifting his gaze away from Skuld and Axel to look at the blonde Nobody. There was a certain expression on Demyx’s face, a mix between confusion and determination. Gold eyes look up at him, though something told Jaune that the gold wasn’t natural.

“I know Ruby, and Skuld,” he said. “I’m trying to find answers. How do I know them, why can’t I remember? … Though I need to talk to Zexion… I mean Ienzo, he said he had an important task for me. So… can I ask you a favour, Jaune?”

“What is it?”

“When you and Ruby go in search of Remnant, may I come with you?”

What? How did Demyx think that Jaune and Ruby were going to do that? Was there something that he knew that the two Remnantian’s didn’t? Jaune opened his mouth to ask but Demyx had already raised his hand to bid Jaune farewell as darkness wrapped around him and he disappeared. The Knight was confused. Why was Demyx so certain? They were getting closer to answers with the books in the library, why did Demyx say search for Remnant. A hand on his shoulder cut him from his thoughts and Jaune looked up to see Ansem the Wise standing there.

“I am afraid that young Demyx is correct,” he said, addressing Jaune’s confusion. “You will indeed have to search for Remnant. Allow me to tell you a tale…”

As Ansem spoke, sharing a story about Remnant, Jaune’s eyes widened. He could feel the blood drain from his face and he sent out a silent plea to Ruby. _Please, little sister… you have to find us a better way home…_

◇◆◇◆◇

Demyx whistled a cheerful tune as he appeared in the lab where Ienzo was, startling the Somebody. Ienzo quickly relaxed when he realised it was just Demyx, who, as ever, still acted like a lazy good for nothing. Despite his demeanour of “don’t give me work” however, Ienzo still walked up to the Nobody and handed him one of those fancy phone things he'd observed Sora having briefly on one of the worlds.

“This is a Gummiphone,” Ienzo said. “Use it to stay in contact no matter which world you’re on. I have a job for you.”

Ah, yes, Ienzo was still just as no nonsense as he was as Zexion back in the original Organisation. Demyx could have given his stock standard and expected complaint, but this situation felt far more serious than trying to avoid the wrath of Saïx. So Demyx took the Gummiphone and inspected it for a moment, briefly gaining a basic understanding of how it worked before he regarded the blue-silver haired teen in front of him.

“Alright then,” he said. “What do you need me to do?”

“What, no complaints?” Ienzo asked, somewhat surprised. Demyx laughed and shoved the phone in his pocket.

“You realise that most of my laziness is an act, right?” he asked in turn. “Sure, I’m lazy, but being a Nobody gives me such a better excuse. No heart right?”

“... right,” Ienzo hummed, something flickering across his gaze momentarily before it cleared. “I need you to go to the Keyblade Graveyard and bring back one of the replica bodies being used by the Organisation. That means ensuring that it doesn’t get destroyed, but you have always been good at problem-solving. How else would you avoid proper discipline for your laziness?”

Demyx grinned at Ienzo and gave him a thumbs up. 

“You remember me so well,” he snickered. “Once this is all over, me and you are gonna have that chat. Maybe Ruby can be there too. We can tell her about the old Organisation! Like the time Marluxia tripped on thin air because someone commented on that mission of his.”

Ienzo smiled and let out a short laugh in response. 

“Sounds good,” he replied. “Try to bring her back safe too. I don’t know where she currently is or how close Xemnas is keeping her for blackmail, but… please bring her back safely too.”

The Melodious Nocturne brought up his hand in a lazy but cheerful salute. Of course he'd bring her back safely, she was the key to his memories. Demyx wondered if Naminé would be able to help with his and Ruby’s memories, but he shook that thought away, because the little Witch wasn't here. Opening a Corridor of Darkness, he walked through the swirling black to skulk around the Keyblade Graveyard from the shadows until the time was right to step out.

◇◆◇◆◇

Ruby sighed as she sat on her rock, leaning into her father's side as they looked at the ancient and rusted Keyblades that littered the area. Soon the sounds of fighting would ring across this land again as it would have years before, and briefly Ruby wondered what it was like for the ancient Keyblade wielders who had fought. _ <strike>It was raining that day, determination and fear in the air.</strike> _ Marluxia’s hand was carding through her hair gently. Ruby could almost pretend she was back on Remnant. That thought turned into another, more important thought.

“After the Keyblade War,” Ruby hummed. “You’ll be back on Remnant, yeah?”

“That is correct,” Marluxia replied, looking down at his daughter, unnatural gold eyes meeting sterling silver. The younger reaper paused as she called out Misty Rose and stared at the rose leaf blade of the scythe.

“Where will we meet?” Ruby asked. “I doubt we will return to the same places. We aren’t even getting back the same way. And since the CCT towers are down, we can’t use our Scrolls.”

The older reaper lifted his hand and summoned his own scythe. He held it next to Ruby’s, the pair of elegant yet deadly weapons glinted in the sunlight. Ruby marvelled at the sight. Such a beautiful weapon she had summoned. _<strike>It isn’t Morning’s Mist though…</strike>_ She would have to remember to ask Xigbar to teach her more about magic and summoning, if she ever got the chance.

“I’m sure you’ll hear some Keyblade wielder say it,” her father hummed. “But our hearts are connected. I will wait on Remnant for you to return, since that would be better than trying to guess which world you will be on after this war, who knows where the Guardians of Light will take you. And I believe your friends will need my help. Where were you headed before Xemnas found you?”

“Haven Academy,” Ruby replied, sighing. “Jaune mentioned that he, Ren and Nora had gotten there, and the Headmaster didn’t seem willing to talk.”

A hand came up and rested on her head, causing Ruby to jump before turning her gaze to her father as she realised she had looked away and had been staring at her father’s and her own scythes. She swallowed and nodded at his unspoken command. They would meet at Haven. Ruby pushed away the thought of wondering if Ren and Nora were still in Haven with Qrow. All she could do was have faith. Marluxia stood up and nodded quietly to Ruby who straightened, her grip on Misty Rose tightening. It seemed it was time for her father to go. Neither father nor daughter said anything, there was nothing appropriate to say in this moment. Goodbye implied something they didn’t want and good luck was hollow.

Marluxia opened a Dark Corridor and walked through, and Ruby watched as it closed behind him. Misty Rose’s pastel blue and yellow to black shaft was hugged to her chest. She opened her mouth, intent to call for Chirithy, when the sound of another Dark Corridor opening erupted from behind her. Ruby stood and spun on her heel to see Xemnas walking towards her. 

“You are here, excellent,” he said, even though his voice was devoid of emotion. The Nobody and the reaper stared at each other for a moment before Xemnas held out a hand.

“Come, I will take you somewhere to wait for me,” the Nobody continued. “Once this is over I will take you back.”

Ruby swallowed and looked at first Xemnas’ hand and then raised her gaze up to the Nobody’s face. She tried to discern what he was thinking, but his face was blank. There was something about that fact which threatened to break the young reaper’s heart. Her grip tightened once more on her scythe. She could do it, somehow she knew Xemnas would not move, she could lash out with Misty Rose, take away one of Xehanort’s thirteen… but...

“Why must you die for the Old Man?”

Her question echoed around them, wreathing uncomfortably as Xemnas remained silent. From the way Xemnas’ eyes widened slightly, Ruby knew that he now realised that he hadn’t fooled her at all. The smile that spread across his face was fake, so fake, and it made Ruby’s heart hurt. _Why now, why pretend now when it’s all over?_ She stared at the Nobody with determination glittering in her silver eyes.

“Because that is all I was brought back to do,” Xemnas replied, spreading his hands. “You have realised this.”

“That's cruel,” Ruby protested, tossing her own arm to the side to emphasise her point. “You aren't a tool.”

“But we are, we both are.” It was a cold fact, one which Ruby found herself still fighting against. “I am a tool to create a weapon of legend, and you are a tool to keep Marluxia in check. I would have you somewhere that you could be found by the Guardians of Light, that they might assist you in returning to your World. Your role is done. Let me play mine.”

A burning sensation reached Ruby’s eyes at how unfair this was. But it wasn’t her place, and if she tried anything now, she didn’t know what Xehanort would do to prevent her return home. _<strike>Just the same as last time…</strike>_ In her heart she felt something telling her to bide her time. Wait until Xehanort was defeated. _Watch and learn and take the knowledge back to Remnant to defeat Salem._ There was a question that sprung from the back of her mind.

“If you weren’t about to go to war… what would you do instead?”

For a moment Ruby was certain that Xemnas would not answer her question as he opened up yet another Dark Corridor. But when she walked past him to enter it, his hand came up to rest on her shoulder. She looked up to meet his golden gaze, not flinching away from him this time.

“I would study this strange phenomena of a half-Nobody and find out why she seems so different from Somebodies and Nobodies, despite her similarities with the boy named Sora.”

Ruby blinked in surprise before she let herself be led through the portal. That was not what she had been expecting his answer to be.

◇◆◇◆◇

The place Xemnas took her was flat, barren, and held a few scattered Keyblades. One Keyblade in particular caught her eye as the Nobody left. Rusted and faded though it was, it was different from the rest as it seemed more unique. There was a ribbon which had fallen limp beside it, but Ruby somehow knew that it would have been floating around the blade. Resting Misty Rose on the ground so that it leaned against her shoulder, Ruby held out her hands.

“Chirithy!” She called. The grey tabby creature popped into existence and fell into Ruby’s outstretched arms. The young reaper smiled in delight, hugging the creature for a moment. Chirithy seemed surprised at the girl’s reaction, before looking up at her as she pulled away.

“How may I help you, Little Lady?” Chirithy asked, head tilting to the said. Ruby swallowed at being called “little lady” as if she were someone important. That thought was pushed aside though as she gestured to the Keyblade in the ground.

“Why is the Keyblade more unique than the others?” she asked. Almost immediately she felt Chirithy tremble. 

“That Keyblade belonged to a Keyblade Master,” Chirithy replied, looking sad. “She was one of the children chosen to keep light alive, but eventually she chose to fight in the war instead.”

Ruby looked at the Keyblade and felt a wash of sadness. She raised her hand to touch the blade. Just as her hand was about to touch the rusted metal however, a power rocked the area around her, one that drew a name from her lips.

“Bahamut...?”

The power was gone almost as quickly as it had come, fading away having just rocked the earth. Ruby and Chirithy exchanged a glance and turned to face the direction that the power had come from, the young reaper quickly grabbing her scythe again. That was strange. Ruby wasn’t sure how she knew that name, but she said it nonetheless. The girl and the spirit watched the horizon line for a few minutes, there a shift in the air which almost made the world change slightly followed by a second great power of great light. 

“What was that?” Ruby asked quietly.

“I could try to find out?” Chirithy offered. When Ruby nodded the spirit disappeared, leaving the young reaper alone again. The girl brought her hand to her chin. What had happened? She didn’t get long to think though, as soon after the earth began to rumble, and then tall stone walls rose around her. Her scythe was shifted into a defensive stance, expecting an attack. A few heartless jumped out at her, but she struck them down quickly with her scythe. Silver eyes narrowed and scanned the walls around her. A dark corridor opened in front of her and Ruby snarled as the old man Xehanort stepped out. She pointed Misty Rose at him, but paused as he held up a hand.

“I have something to show you,” he said, but Ruby ignored him and ran forward, slashing down with her scythe. Xehanort merely dodged to the side.

“Would you like to see your father?” the old Keyblade Master asked, as he blocked a second strike from Ruby. There was a certain look in his golden eyes which Ruby didn’t like. So she tried to ignore him.

“If you don’t,” the elder finally said, jumping back, smirk on his face, “you will find yourself in a situation you won’t have an answer to. Did you want to know about the nature of the Nobody, of which you are half?”

Ah, a dilemma. He was offering her information, about something she was curious about. Ruby still didn’t like the look on his face though. The question was… how desperate was she for the information she offered? Could she live with the question of what made her different? _What does it mean to be a half Nobody?_ She had asked Xigbar if she was a Nobody and his reply was so vehement that she tried to forget the question. It was then that Ruby realised the true reason she had followed Xemnas off of Twilight Town’s world. _Answers._

“And where is this _thing_ you want to show me?” Ruby asked, not falling out of her defensive stance. After all; it wouldn’t do to walk into the unknown without being prepared for the potential chance it was a trap. Xehanort gestured to the Dark Corridor he had come from, still open. The choice he was presenting her was obvious. Walk through and she would see what he wanted her to see, or stay and remain in the dark. Taking a moment to curse her curiosity, Ruby walked into the abyss, keeping her eyes on the old man as she did so.

He led her out of the portal to the top of one of the walls. Instinct had her walk to the edge and look down. Below, in an open space, was her father, standing alone against Sora and an anthropomorphic mouse. Ruby’s breath caught in her throat. She knew that her father had said that he would be fighting with Larxene and Luxord. _Where were they?_ Briefly she felt what she thought may have been the brush of comforting hands on her shoulders, but the feeling left as soon as it came and her eyes were glued to the fight between her father and the two Keyblade wielders. Xehanort stepped up beside her, his hands behind his back as he also watched the fight.

“Witness now the clash between Light and Dark,” he said, as Marluxia was knocked back by a vicious strike from Sora, a column of darkness erupting from him before fading, “and the final fate of all Nobodies. You see, girl, Nobodies are the abandoned body after the Heart has left. They are neither light nor darkness. They are nothing. And when they die, they return to nothing, for the body must rejoin with the Heart.”

Ruby could see her father and how his body started to fade, there was no light or darkness to it, just fragments of something, or nothing as Xehanort was saying. Marluxia was saying something she couldn’t hear to Sora, a calm smile on his face, before he disappeared completely. Though she had been expecting it, a cry of despair still ripped from her throat, echoing across the graveyard.

“DAD, NO!!!”

“Do you see now, girl?” Xehanort asked, looking at the young reaper. “That is what happens to a Nobody upon defeat. I wonder what would happen if _you_ fell in battle?”

With that horrifying thought and a chuckle, Xehanort disappeared. Ruby’s wide silver eyes met the shocked gaze of Sora. Tears sprang up and she almost jumped forward to attack when a pair of familiar arms wrapped around her waist to stop her. She found herself being turned around and pressed into a black coated chest.

“It’s okay Ruby, it’s okay,” the voice of Demyx spoke soothingly. “Marly is back where he was turned into a Nobody this time. You know this… come on, you and I have a delivery to make.”

Ruby silently nodded and let Demyx lead her away, back through one final Dark Corridor, where he picked up a cloaked body, and then through to Radiant Garden. The blonde Nobody was talking about how the figure was a replica for a girl named Naminé. Ruby was only half listening though. Her mind kept replaying what Xehanort had said. _I wonder what would happen if_ you _fell in battle?_ What would happen? Would she fade too?

The shaken reaper didn’t say anything as she met Ienzo, nor when she was led to a room to stay in. She didn’t react to offers for food or water. She didn’t react until she felt two separate presences reach out to her. Her Heart stretched out towards these presences, but they didn’t respond, and Ruby broke. She started to cry, for her father, and for the Hearts of the Organisation all tossed aside to fulfil the will of a single man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Welcome to 2021 of this fic! We're at chapter 32 of 35 already!?!? We've come so far! I hope you are enjoying reading this fic as much as I am enjoying writing it! And now we're here! At the Keyblade War! But wait a minute - Vanitas is dead! Ruby has been doing things!!! I know! I know! The consequences of what I have done will be next chapter as we go and touch on every fight that Ruby's presence had affected! There is actually a few. That's next chapter though!!!
> 
> I am so sorry this took so long!!! XD I had to get a new laptop, and then had to move everything out of home for a bit, then there's been a few appointments! So the start of this year had been chaotic. Very, very, very chaotic... But I have all my Nobody's Rose documents now! Just have to get them all onto Google Drive since I don't have an active copy of Microsoft Word anymore.
> 
> The Keyblade War is here and Xehanort has made Ruby aware of what happens upon a Nobody's defeat. The full implications Xehanort was making will dawn on Ruby soon enough. Here in starts one of the major conflicts of the sequel. _What does it mean to be a half-Nobody?_ <strike>in this AU at least</strike>.
> 
> Finally the Keyblade! The FANCY Keyblade in the graveyard. It will be important later. Much later. It's a part of a small headcanon of mine and will lead into saving Remnant.
> 
> Next Chapter - Here's a gift, it's going to be entirely from Sora's POV. His first and last POV for a while in this series.


	33. When Darkness Prevails

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Destiny's path took a different course, all affected by the addition of one element: Ruby Rose.

Sora should have known that something had changed about this War. He should have realised the moment he had met the girl named Ruby in the forest of the Kingdom of Corona. She was a girl who had encountered him with no expectations, she knew about his Keyblade, and she was accompanied by a Nobody. The brown haired teen had known she wasn’t a Nobody herself though, because he could sense her heart, pulsating with light and darkness as most hearts were. Anyone could have sensed her heart, because it was almost as if she had been projecting it. But only Sora had known to look, because he had, twice, on that world. First when he had first met her and she had run off, because she had been acting strange, sparring with Nobodies and all, and second when she had stood between Marluxia and him, trying to stop the man who had been revealed as her father.

Ruby was someone used to projecting her heart, but why she did that, Sora didn’t know. As far as he knew, doing such a thing provided no benefit.

So when the Keyblade War began, he should have expected the unexpected, he should have seen what he saw coming. He did not however. Sora was not prepared for Xigbar to look at the place where Ansem the Seeker of Darkness had been with a smirk on his face to make a comment.

“So is that how it is, is it?” Xigbar asked out loud, somewhat quieter than his usual loud and taunting voice, as he shook his shoulders in a sort of shrug. “Good to know. Hopefully they aren’t too damaged at the end of this.”

Then he said something in a language that Sora didn’t recognise, but the younger Riku somehow did. The silver haired boy stumbled in shock before twisting and turning a slightly terrified gaze upon the Freeshooter. 

“You… you’re just like _them!_”

What did this dark Riku mean by that? Sora had no time for confusion though as Xigbar smirked at dark Riku and forced the battle to resume. Riku and Sora exchanged a shrug before pushing their all into fighting Xigbar and the replica of Riku’s past. It wasn’t long until the dark Riku fell, leaving a replica body behind, though Sora didn’t know what happened fully as he had been blocking shots from the gunslinger. When Riku ran to help him with Xigbar, the Nobody fell soon after. As Xigbar stumbled back, a column of darkness erupting from him, Sora and Riku dropped their Keyblades slightly as the man started to laugh quietly.

“This is how it ends then?” he asked quietly, before raising his golden eye to meet Sora’s, even as he pushed one of his arrowguns into the ground to help push himself up. “Would have been different if I’d had a Keyblade, but this will suffice.”

“As if you’d be worthy of a Keyblade!” Sora taunted, throwing his hand to the side. He didn’t know why Xigbar was still smirking at him.

“Oh, I am worthy,” he replied, making Sora and Riku coil back in shock. “That Keyblade the old coot has, he said he’d give me that. Welp, guess I better go collect!”

“Wait, Xigbar!” Sora called, reaching out as the Nobody warped away. Though he could see Xigbar reappear at the top of the maze wall. He had that smirk on his face as he stumbled backwards on shaky legs.

“Don’t go making Ruby cry now, boy,” came the cheerful voice. “I’d have to… haunt ya… then…”

With those final words, Xigbar fell backwards, throwing himself off the wall. Hand thrown forward in shock, Sora found himself staring even as the Nobody’s weapons faded. Ruby? Why did Xigbar care about Ruby? Why had he… thrown himself from the wall? The brunette teen’s mouth was dry. What was that? How did he react to that? What was he--?

His thoughts were interrupted by Riku placing a hand on his shoulder. Blue eyes met sea green. The silver haired teen nodded to Sora slightly, drawing him back to the moment. Right - now wasn’t the time for shock or horror. They had a war to win. There was a replica they had to deal with. Now was not the time to focus on Xigbar, his words, or how he had thrown himself off the wall. Replica body for Naminé, rest of the war to fight. Sora forced himself to focus on those immediate issues. Riku would make sure the replica got to Ienzo on Radiant Garden, Sora would continue on, Riku would meet up with him later. 

Sora swallowed before he nodded at Riku again and ran off. He had seen Mickey down the other maze corridor, but had chosen to help Riku first. But now he ran to assist the king. When he entered the wider area, Sora realised that Mickey was facing off three Organisation members. Marluxia, Luxord and Larxene. Xemnas was there as well, watching with a smirk on his lips, but eyes dead. To distract himself from his previous fight, Sora jumped straight into the fight, running up beside King Mickey. Xemnas did something to Luxord though, putting the brunette on edge.

“Come, Sora,” the blonde man called summoning up his cards. “Let us play a little game!”

◇◆◇◆◇

The fight was long, because Sora was alone, facing three experienced Nobodies, and the teen was on the defensive more often than not. What was he to do? Noticing one of Luxord’s many cards, in the wall the Nobody had created, moving, Sora quickly dashed over and attacked it. That was the last strike needed to knock Luxord back, and Sora almost stumbled forward. A hand caught him though, a hand which was fading and Sora looked up to meet the gaze of Luxord, who was giving him a smirk. Quickly glancing around told the teen that time had slowed down to a near halt because Larxene and Marluxia were still there, intent on fighting Sora, but they weren’t moving.

“Now, now, this won’t do at all,” Luxord stated, bringing Sora’s attention back. “However will you help Ruby if you fall here?”

“Help Ruby?” the brunette teen echoed with curiosity. Luxord’s smirk grew slightly and softened. The blonde man handed Sora a card. Sora flipped it over in his hands looking at it, before tilting his head to the side and looking back up at Luxord.

“A trump card if you will, an ace up your sleeve,” the gambler hummed. “There is a connection between the two of you, though I can see that she tried to break it. Silly girl, she should know better than most that such a thing isn’t done so easily. You’re in for a rocky road with her, but persevere and I see the two of you going far. Perhaps I’ll even be there to witness it. I enjoyed our game, Sora, let’s play again sometime.”

Sora nodded, blue eyes wide. Time resumed as Luxord faded away, leaving the young Keyblade wielder with a whirling mind. He shook his head though and turned back to the remaining two Nobodies.

“Sora!” 

Turning to the side, Sora saw Mickey reappear and reenter the fray. A grin formed on Sora’s face before he ran at Larxene. Mickey was fighting Marluxia, now the odds of this fight had been evened. He shoved aside the nagging feeling that sparked in his mind as Luxord had faded. Larxene was the next to fall, and Sora knew it was luck on his part that had his Keyblade catching her off guard. When she fell to her knees though, her hand came to her chest and her expression became mournful.

“This… isn’t what I wanted…” she murmured under her breath. “Sorry Ruby…”

“Ruby?” Sora asked, his heart almost stopping. Ruby again, what was the connection that Ruby had with all these members of Organisation XIII that they would mention her? Larxene looked up at the brunette teen, her eyes narrowing.

“What, a girl can’t have a heart to fight against an old geezer?” she demanded. “Marluxia told me about how you made Ruby cry. Should have zapped you harder.”

Sora stumbled back in shock. The Nobody had already zapped him enough in his opinion as he held up his hands with a sheepish smile.

“Sorry,” he apologized, rubbing the back of his head. Larxene narrowed her eyes further, seemingly appraising Sora. After a moment she sighed and relaxed slightly, her form threatening to fade completely as she opened her mouth to say something more. She smiled slightly, eyes sharpening.

“Well, I guess you’ll do,” she said. “Not my ride anymore, guess it’s time to find a new one.”

A ride? What was she talking about? What ride? With…?

“... with?” He asked, echoing his mind. Briefly his gaze flickered over to Marluxia who was fighting Mickey. Then he thought of Ruby, who apparently had a connection with these Nobodies. Had she… saved them? _So is that how it is, is it?_ Xigbar’s words floated back. The Freeshooter had mentioned hoping that they weren’t damaged, did he mean their hearts? Sora certainly hoped Xigbar had meant their hearts, his own reaching for the shattered connection he had with the black haired girl which Ruby had broken herself. Larxene brought a finger to her lips with a kind smile which was far cry from her sneers and smirks.

“My secret.”

The woman faded away and Sora brought his hand to his chest. _Don’t worry, Ruby,_ he thought to himself as he turned on his heel to fight Marluxia with Mickey. _I’ll make sure these hearts aren’t broken by Xehanort!_ Lifting up his Keyblade again, he ran at the reaper, his final opponent in this part of the labyrinth, and started to fight again. 

Fighting Marluxia didn’t last long, it had already been a long fight already and Mickey had been keeping the pink haired Nobody off of Sora while the teen had been speaking to Larxene. It wasn’t long before Marluxia was stumbling backwards, dropping his scythe. The man started to chuckle softly.

“Oh,” he said in a voice which dripped with self-deprecating humour. “Now it all comes back to me…”

Sora watched as Marluxia raised a hand to his cheek to wipe away… tears?

“Of course it would take… a second defeat for me to remember.”

“What did you remember?” Sora asked curiously. He wanted to know even a small part of the Somebody Marluxia had been, he was Ruby’s dad after all. The Nobody looked at Sora and the teen could see years of sadness swimming within golden depths, so vast that for a moment Sora was convinced that Marluxia’s eyes were blue.

“I remembered my purpose for being here,” he replied. “Both given to me, and self-assigned. Thank-you Sora… for helping my heart remember how to feel.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t me at all,” Sora replied. “Ruby probably did more there.”

“You are mostly likely correct,” Marluxia breathed around a quiet chuckle, finally letting his form fade. Sora sighed, bringing his hand up to his chest again. His thoughts were suddenly cut off and silenced by a glass-shattering scream.

“DAD, NO!!!”

Sora whipped around to the source of the voice and his eyes landed on the top of the maze wall where Ruby stood, a scythe shaped like a rose perched on a pastel cloud shaft in her hands, Xehanort beside her saying something before he appeared to chuckle and disappear out of sight through a Dark Corridor. The brunette teen felt his mouth go dry as his blue eyes met the horrified silver gaze of Ruby. He saw anger overtake the horror, and for a moment Sora thought she was going to attack him. Just as she leaped forward however, another member of the Organisation stepped out and pulled her back. Demyx, Sora remembered, pulled Ruby into a hug before he nodded slightly to Sora and led Ruby away.

“You okay, Sora?” Mickey’s voice asked, bringing Sora’s attention to the King beside him.

“Xehanort… he had… Ruby was…”

He cut off when the mouse placed a comforting hand on his arm.

“We can’t stop here,” Mickey said. “Once this is over, you, Riku, Kairi, and I will need to have a talk. And maybe you can find and talk to that girl, Ruby, too. But for now we have to deal with the reason she was there in the first place.”

“Xehanort,” Sora replied, shifting his focus onto that name. The reason this war was even happening. The teen nodded and ran forward while Mickey went to find Xehanort. Sora needed to help the rest of his friends so they could regroup to fight Xehanort. And so once again he was in the maze. The next path split he reached, Sora could see Aqua and Ventus down one and Kairi and Lea down the other. Trusting that Kairi and Lea could handle themselves, and knowing that Aqua and Ventus were still recovering from their near twelve years in the Realm of Darkness or asleep, Sora ran towards the master and her friend.

Aqua was fighting the possessed Terra when Sora ran in, but Ventus was off to the side, looking around wildly, Keyblade in hand. When Sora skidded into the large area of the labyrinth, the blonde boy suddenly turned to the brunette.

“Sora! Look out!!”

That was all the warning that Sora had before the temperature dropped rapidly. Out of instinct, the teen dodge to the side, just in time as a blizzard tier spell flew past him. Whipping in the direction of the attack, Sora found himself face-to-face with a man with long straight blonde hair.

“A pleasure to meet you again Sora,” the man said, raising an eyebrow and letting his blue shield fall at his side, contrasting against the black Organisation coat. “Though if Naminé did the job I was told she did, then you won’t remember me at all. A pity, I quite enjoyed our chat before Axel interrupted.”

Sora raised his Keyblade into a defensive position. Another Nobody who knew him, whom he could not remember? A scowl came to Sora’s face, but the blonde Nobody continued to speak before Sora could respond.

“I am Vexen, a scientist, and I do hope you’ll let me study you.”

The fight continued and Sora joined without much fanfare. This was not going to be an easy fight, and Sora could feel his muscles burning, but he ignored it with a quick Curaga and focused on his opponent. It was a long way yet to Xehanort.

◇◆◇◆◇

Sora landed on the ledge beside Riku and Mickey, stumbling from exhaustion, having just come from defeating Saïx and freeing Xion. Xemnas had arrived during that fight and taken Kairi with a dead expression which had left Sora shaken. Before that, his fight against Vexen hadn’t lasted long, it was almost as if the scientist hadn’t been trying. Then he had helped Aqua and Ventus save Terra from Xehanort’s control. It wasn’t just Sora who was exhausted; Terra, Aqua, Ventus, Xion, Lea, they were as well. Roxas had stayed with his friends when Sora had left. But, the teen ignored his exhaustion once again, casting another Curaga, pushing the thought that he would regret overtaxing himself like this later aside, and straightened beside his friends.

His eyes landed on Ansem, his first ever enemy, who was smirking. _So is that how it is, is it?_ Why did that smirk suddenly feel fake? Looking at Xemnas, even the younger Xehanort, it all felt fake, forced. All of it. For a moment, Sora’s Keyblade faltered, a doubt trying to grip his heart. Until he looked up to see Master Xehanort. That taunting, twisted smile was real, and anger crashed back over Sora. Everything that felt false was his fault. _For a Keyblade that was meant to be all-powerful._

“WHO CARES ABOUT AN ALL-POWERFUL KEYBLADE ANYWAY?!?” Sora shouted dashing to attack young Xehanort. He could sense Riku and Mickey exchanging a glance behind him before they too chose their opponents and the clash between Light and Darkness resumed. 

This battle would be a long one, Sora could tell, because unlike the rest of the Organisation who had each been in combat with other Guardians when Sora ran up to help, young Xehanort, Ansem and Xemnas had all been waiting, staying out of the fights, ready for this moment now. They had an advantage. Even Riku and Mickey had an advantage over Sora, having run here after Sora had helped them. Everyone had been waiting here. Resting. Sora had come directly from other fights, and even with Curaga staving off his exhaustion, not even a spell could fully get rid of the burning to his muscles. Almost immediately Sora was thrown on the defensive. Being kept on his toes, Sora missed when Ansem stumbled away from Riku, but he could hear Riku talking with the Heartless, voice tinged with melancholy.

“Heh… that would be… the second time someone who should hate me has shown kindness enough to mourn,” Ansem breathed, and Sora could barely hear it. “But that is enough, boy, it is time to move on. There is more to seek, so go forth and seek it.”

Sora almost looked over his shoulder to Riku, but had to quickly bring up his Keyblade to defend himself. Young Xehanort wasn’t letting Sora get distracted. Grunting with the effort to block, Sora growled as he felt his arms weaken. The Curaga on his exhaustion was fading. The golden eyed teen in front of him smirked, also realising. The younger version of the Master watching above kept pressing down, if he made Sora falter, then he would win. So focused on keeping Sora down though, young Xehanort failed to notice Riku rushing at him before it was too late to fully dodge and Riku’s Keyblade slashed deeply through the golden eyed teen’s side. Young Xehanort’s eyes widened in shock.

“Is this what... Ruby meant when... she said ‘don’t be Destiny’s... plaything...?'” he asked, pressing his hand to his side as he took three pained steps backwards. “I guess... I was a bit of a... fool.”

Leaning on his Keyblade to push himself up, Sora tilted his head to the side in confusion.

“What do you mean?” he asked. The teen, fading away back through time, looked up and inspected Sora for a moment, almost as if he was considering what to say. Considering what to reveal. 

“You are doomed, Sora,” Xehanort sneered, though his face softened slightly. “But perhaps Ruby spoke… a sliver of truth. A prize then, for your victory… the interpretation of the prophecy… is flawed.”

Face becoming a smirk, the teenager from the past faded away, leaving only Xemnas left in this fight. Sora went to heal himself again when Riku stopped him and pressed a hi-potion into his friend’s hand. 

“Rest, don’t cast another healing spell,” he said. “We still have to face Xehanort, and who knows what he will do once Xemnas falls.”

The brown haired teen wanted to protest, but knew they didn’t have time to argue, so he accepted the potion as Riku ran to join Mickey. Sora watched instead as Xemnas fought against two different wielders. He didn’t stay still for long though. The moment he felt the burn wash out of his body, Sora leaped into the fray and there was nothing that Riku or Mickey could do about it. There was no way he was letting his friends fight without his help. Under the onslaught of three fighters, Xemnas could not hold off the final blow to his chest forever, and he fell backwards before he caught himself.

“Bested… yet again,” he murmured, looking at his hands. Sora stepped forward.

“Xemnas, I know that you have a heart,” he said empathetically, bringing his hand to his chest. “What do you feel? Was it worth it?”

The question threw the Nobody off as he looked up. Xemnas looked at him… like he was seeing someone else. Sora didn’t add anything else as he stared at the silver haired man.

“I feel... loneliness…” Xemnas replied, golden eyes awash with sadness, “and regret... I took my companions for granted and hurt some of them unforgivably… and now I have nothing. My first surge of emotion in years… for as long as I can remember… and it’s… loneliness and sorrow. Do you see? A heart is just pain.” 

Xemnas had turned away from Sora, Riku and Mickey as he spoke, but Sora found he had to step forward. That wasn’t the truth, it wasn’t the complete truth, he could sense it! So is that how it is, is it? Sora clenched his fist, before throwing his hand to the side. 

“There is more to a heart than just anger and hate!” he said, making the Nobody turn back slightly. Both of them remembered what he had said that day in the Castle That Never Was before Xemnas’ original defeat. “Pain, hurt, anger, that’s only part of being human!”

“Really...?” the Nobody asked, looking back over his shoulder as he turned away one final time. “It must take... incredible strength. Oh... Tell Ruby, I’m sorry.”

Sora felt his mouth dry out as Xemnas faded away. Was that how this ended? With words to pass on? His gaze landed up on Xehanort. No it wasn’t how it ended. His grip on the Kingdom Key in his hands tightened. There was still one enemy left. And he had Kairi.

When Master Xehnort’s Keyblade cut down Kairi, Sora cried out as he ran up the cliff side. A breath of a voice, like a fluttering heart, brushed past his ear as he struck out at the old man, a voice which he recognised and was surprised to hear.

_“You really are just like her.”_

_Ansem?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are with Sora's point of view! I wasn't originally planning on having this as it's own chapter, originally it was going to just be the Nort Court's defeats at the end of the last chapter, but then I realised just how many of the Organisation's defeats technically would have changed because of Ruby being there, so I decided to give Sora his own chapter. Unwritten battles nothing changed... as for Vexen, I am reserving his defeat for an outtake because he will be talking more to Ventus, and not actually mentioning Ruby. I didn't narrate the actual fighting because the chapter was getting long.
> 
> There is now a fanfic I _could_ start posting for Nobody's Rose, if it wasn't for the single plot reveal <strike>which some people are getting close to guessing</strike> which gets brought up in the first chapter. But everything is now set up for that fic, and it's a what if fic. What if Summer Rose survived (in this AU)? I can't wait to start posting that for you all.
> 
> And everything is now in place to save Remnant too, that will come about in the sequel. ^^ Two more chapters to go! Next chapter - the aftermath of the Keyblade War! And Ruby meets someone else! Until then - stay fresh!


End file.
